The Cost of Doing Business
by bnomiko
Summary: Seto thinks he knows his own limits. But he's never been the best judge of that. And he thinks a cold is just a cold. But he's forgotten... computer viruses aren't the only viruses to fear. ShonenAi. Prideshipping Seto Yami Stepshipping Mokuba Noa .
1. Ch 1: Incubating the Succubus

Pairing(s): Yami + Seto, Noa + Mokuba (possible mention of Jou + Mai, Yugi + Anzu, Malik + Ryou, Rafael + Valon + Amelda)  
Warnings: swearing  
Disclaimer: Nyquil is a product of Procter & Gamble. Virus Buster Serge is the creation of Masami Obari. Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

**This is a SHONEN-AI fic (male + male romantic relationship). If you are offended by homosexual relationships, please do not read this. Flames will be disregarded.**

Setup for this fic:  
- Part of the Kai-baby / Yami-kins AU. Chronologically set immediately after "Summer of '69." To recap briefly, that was my rewrite of KC Grand Prix. Siegfried infiltrated the tournament and caused havoc for Seto, but was eventually found out and his plans, stopped.  
- Noa has been brought out of the virtual world, has a new body, and is living with Mokuba and Seto, and Yami has his own body and is separate from Yugi.  
- Ages of characters: Seto and Yami are 20, Noa and Mokuba 15.

* * *

**The Cost of Doing Business**

**Ch. 1: Incubating the Succubus**

* * *

The weeklong grand opening celebration for KaibaLand America was finally over, signaling the beginning of the migration home for the last remaining group of invitees. Sated with memories of a pleasant vacation but missing the routine beat of their lives, Yugi-tachi were happy to return to Domino, even though they had only been away a week.

But for Seto, who had remained behind with his brothers and his lover for a few additional days, no words could describe how he had felt when he finally arrived home two months, three days, and a handful of hours after he had first left. He had missed the familiar streets leading up to the house, the sight of Kuriboh trotting up alongside the car, whinnying as they pulled in, the feel of his bed as Yami tackled him onto it. It was funny how the little things could make such a difference, but they did. He had slept better that night than he had in a long, long time.

That homecoming afternoon, along with the one day off in America that he had promised to Mokuba a week earlier, was all the "vacation" Seto had gotten. Still, that was more than he usually got, so he couldn't really complain, even if he had originally hoped that he'd be able to relax a bit after the KC Grand Prix. But unfortunately, thanks to Siegfried's interference, he had ended up spending his last few days in America tidying things up. He'd had to order a sweeping safety inspection of every ride at the park, and had made upgrades to the park's central computer system to prevent future problems. But thanks to a lot of hard work and long hours, Seto had finally resolved things to his satisfaction. KaibaLand America would be a success; he was certain of it. Already the park had gotten rave reviews from visitors, and even the always-fickle media had good things to say once the safety issues were addressed.

Yes, it would've been nice to get a little more time off. It would've been nice if he could have gone on some of the amusement park's rides with his family, or spent time lounging on the beach with Yugi and the others. But that was just a fantasy. So he had worked while everyone else played, swallowing the accompanying tiredness that still plagued him. He figured it would go away now that they were back at home.

At least now he'd be able to get back to his old work schedule, arriving at the office between 6:00 and 7:00 AM and leaving promptly at 6:00 PM on weekdays. It would help keep Yami from nagging at him about getting more rest, or about putting on more weight. Hearing him harp on those things was getting annoying. Besides, Seto figured he knew his own limits better than anyone.

So it was no surprise that the next morning found the young CEO back in his office at Kaiba Corp. headquarters, as always, looking ahead to future projects. The company was developing an online role playing game as well as a variety of video games for their up and coming handheld platform. New Duel Disk graphics were needed for the next set of Duel Monsters cards coming out. The fall lineup of their cable channels had to be finalized. More research was needed on the feasibility of building a dueling academy of sorts. On the KaibaLand front, there were possible expansions of promotional deals with several American companies to consider, plus an evaluation of vendors already providing services to the park. And if all that weren't enough of a headache, teen magazines were now clamoring for interviews with Noa and Mokuba, who apparently had caught the attention of young, mostly female, fans during the Grand Prix coverage. So many different things to be done on top of all the more mundane matters that pelted the brunette on a daily basis… that was life as normal for someone ambitious as Seto.

* * *

Five days later, Seto developed a slight cough. Yami couldn't help but be concerned… he knew Seto had pushed himself too hard over the last few months and that his immune system was still struggling because of it. But the taller man immediately shrugged off his lover's concern, saying that he felt fine. Certainly the scratching in the back of his throat was annoying, but he wasn't lying – he really didn't feel bad. No fever or runny nose or anything; probably nothing worse than a mild cold. A few pills ought to take care of it. And besides, he didn't consider a mild cough a reason to skip out on work.

After some consideration and a quick consultation with Mokuba and Noa, Yami decided that it wasn't worth fighting with Seto over it. Other than the cough, the young billionaire didn't seem to be ill. And on top of that, it was a Saturday… at worst Seto would only be in the office for half the day. He'd have a day and a half to rest before the workweek began again.

So Seto went in as scheduled, returning home in about the same condition as when he had left. And just as Yami had hoped, his boyfriend spent most of the afternoon lazing around, doing nothing more strenuous than playing video games at his brothers' urging.

The next day, Seto was still coughing a bit, but hadn't gotten any worse. Yami felt a little relieved at that. It seemed that Seto was right; he'd be okay.

They spent half of Sunday at the tattoo parlor where the always reliable Boo-Boo inked a third Blue Eyes White Dragon swooping down the right side of Yami's back, completing the full set of four between the two lovers. Yami was thrilled with it; the space between the two older tattoos had always felt awkwardly empty to him… But the new addition filled in the space nicely as if it had always belonged there, just like its brethren. And although Seto didn't make any comments while they were in the shop, the fact that he felt the need to push Yami into the sedan's backseat afterwards and take him right there in the parking lot spoke volumes about how much it had meant to him, too. Good thing they had _very_ dark tinted windows...

The remainder of the day was a repeat of the previous one, whiled away gaming online. Seto even got around to making a new axe for his warrior toon, Seiryuu. Then it was time for dinner, a relatively simple and quiet affair, followed by a little TV during which Seto massaged Yami's feet and calves to take his mind off the slight sting in his back. They went to bed at their usual time, made love, and drifted off to sleep in each other's arms, completely unaware of just how _not_ fine Seto was…

* * *

Early Monday morning, Yami found himself rolling over and reaching over Seto's body to irritably switch off the alarm clock on his boyfriend's side of the bed. It was unusual for the alarm to wake him; Seto often woke himself up before it was set to go off, and on the rare occasions that he did need it to wake him, he switched it off so quickly that Yami never even noticed it.

Still sleepy, Yami barely registered that Seto was still in bed, even after the brunette grunted from Yami's weight pressing down on him. Yami's mind suggested that perhaps it was Sunday and that Seto had simply forgotten to switch off the alarm, which was why he was still in bed. It seemed plausible enough, so the crimson-eyed man curled back up against his boyfriend, intending to go back to sleep for at least a little longer, but something seemed… off.

_Seto?_

The only response he got was a groan.

Letting out a frustrated hiss, Yami rolled over onto his side and struggled to push himself up. It was still dark, with just a faint hint of early morning sunlight filtering through the windows. He could barely make out the outline of Seto's body lying tangled in the sheets beside him, as if he had tried to throw them off in the middle of the night. That was a little strange… was he that hot? The air conditioning was still on, and yet Yami felt a strange, unusual warmth drifting through his mind, clouding it. And now that he had a moment to consider it, he realized that Seto's body seemed to be radiating a little more heat than usual…

Yami reached out a hand to touch Seto's cheek, then as if to reconfirm his initial findings, shifted his hand to his lover's forehead before pulling it back in dismay. Seto definitely had a fever.

Immediately the former Pharaoh began fumbling for the lights, blinking hard as the sudden brightness obliterated the shadows. Feeling Seto sluggishly stir beside him in response, he turned to find his lover awake and squinting at him in irritation, his pupils still dilated enough to swallow up the blue of his irises.

"Yami," Seto whispered, his voice hoarse. "What are you doing?"

"How do you feel?"

Seto shrugged a shoulder. "I'm okay," he said unconvincingly. "Is it time to get up?"

"No."

With some effort, Seto rolled over to look at the clock. "Yes it is," he mumbled, and went to sit up.

Yami instantly put his hand on the taller man's chest and pushed him back down. Seto glared at him. "Kai-baby, no. You've been coughing and now you have a fever."

"So?"

He sighed, wondering what Mokuba would say to convince Seto to take the day off… maybe even go see a doctor. "So you're getting sick."

Seto put a hand on his own forehead and closed his eyes. Then a few seconds later, he fixed his gaze on Yami again. "It's really not that bad. I've gone to work with worse."

"Baby, please. There's no reason to push yourself so hard now that..."

"You think I'd have ever gotten anywhere if I didn't push myself? You think Kaiba Corp. could just run itself?" he snarled, offended. It was early morning, he didn't feel great… the last thing he wanted to hear was Yami doubting his ability to function. He slapped away his boyfriend's hand and sat up, forcing himself to ignore the throbbing between his eyes.

Yami sighed again. Seto was always at his most difficult in the morning. But more than that, it was the same old stupid argument they always had – Seto had a hard time understanding that a show of concern wasn't an implication of weakness, even after two years with Yami. "That's not what I meant. And you know that."

"Hn." Seto swung his legs off the bed, taking a moment to gather his strength so that he wouldn't fall over when he tried to stand. His muscles were already beginning to feel a bit watery. He had a cold or maybe even a flu, though it was odd to think of catching something like that in the middle of summer.

Then, sensing that Yami was about to resume prattling at him, the young billionaire stopped him with a wave of his hand. "You're not going to talk me out of this, Yami. I have several extremely important meetings today. You wouldn't believe all the shit that goes on whenever I'm away. Third quarter financials are all fucked up and I wasn't able to spend as much time going over them on Saturday as I would've liked."

Finding himself growing irritated thanks to both Seto's disregard for his own health as well as his foul temper, Yami sucked down a breath, holding it until he felt his anger subside a bit. "Short of knocking you unconscious, you're right, I can't stop you. But for Ra's sake, at least take some cough drops and cold medicine with you. No one will want to stay for a meeting if you're coughing on them."

Seto took a moment to absorb the request, then nodded. After all, he certainly didn't _want_ to get sick. "I will." He got up slowly, taking a moment to steady himself, then turned to face Yami, who still looked a touch miffed. Seto leaned in to apologize with a kiss but thought better of it. He didn't want Yami to get sick either. He frowned slightly, then added, "I promise, I'll take some medicine today. I just forgot to yesterday. So don't worry. Go back to sleep, okay?"

Knowing that it would be futile at the moment, Yami didn't say another word. But he did stay up to watch Seto get dressed, noting any signs of fatigue and cataloging every cough. He planned on starting in on Seto again later that evening; maybe get Mokuba involved or something if need be. Yami didn't mind giving up the battle as long as there was still a war to be won… he just hoped that the virus wouldn't beat him to it.

* * *

By mid afternoon, Yami was feeling positively lousy… tired, sore, unfocused. Assuming that it had something to do with Seto being sick, he mind linked his boyfriend to check in on how he was doing, but Seto waved off his concern. He was just busy and had a bit of a headache... nothing that he couldn't handle.

Yami knew Seto was lying – he had a fever on top of his headache, and generally felt like crap. That made him mad enough that he was tempted to have Mokuba call and try his luck next. But Yami knew well enough that unless they were willing to drive down to the office and drag Seto home kicking and screaming, there wasn't anything either one of them could say that would change his mind… Seto was just too damn stubborn. He'd rather keep going until he ran out of steam than admit that he was only human.

Unable to function, Yami decided to take a nap on the sofa, just to refresh himself. He hadn't planned on sleeping for long. But hours later, he awoke to find the evening sky already darkening and Mokuba peering down at him, concern and anger warring on his face.

"He's upstairs, asleep," the black-haired teen announced, his tone making it quite clear which "he" he was referring to. "You didn't tell me he looked so bad."

Yami took a second to mentally cast for Seto's slumbering presence, then sat up, rubbing at his eyes. "Well, he didn't seem that bad this morning," he offered, leaving out mention of his brief afternoon conversation with Seto for the moment, though now he wished that he'd had the foresight to sic Mokuba on Seto that morning.

Mokuba shrugged slightly. "Fubeta drove him home," he said, impressing upon Yami just how bad his brother's condition was.

The crimson-eyed man bowed his head slightly. Even though there was no point in agonizing over it, he couldn't help but feel like he had failed to look after Seto, who unfortunately never did a good job of taking care of himself.

Mokuba watched Yami carefully for a minute, then sat down on the sofa and leaned against Yami's shoulder. He hadn't meant to make the ex-spirit feel bad. He knew full well how difficult it was to reason with Seto. But the moment he saw Seto stumble through the front door, pale and feverish and out of breath, all he could think about was why hadn't Yami stopped him? How could he have let Seto go if he was that ill? But with Yami asleep and Seto looking like he needed to lie down, he chose to hold his tongue and instead silently shadowed his brother as he headed up the stairs, making sure that the elder Kaiba was heading to bed and not his office.

That was over an hour ago. During that time, Noa had wandered in to keep Mokuba company as he kept watch over Seto, but when it became clear that the brunette wasn't going to be waking anytime soon, Mokuba headed down to wake Yami while Noa took inventory of their stock of cold medicines and placed an order for Chinese delivery for dinner, since it didn't look like Yami would be in a cooking mood.

"I knew something was wrong when I couldn't stay awake this afternoon," Yami finally admitted. "I should've gone down there… made him come home."

"Well, at least he's home now. And we'll help you keep an eye on him," Mokuba said quietly, hoping it would make up for what he had said earlier.

Yami accepted Mokuba's implied apology with a slight smile, then rose to his feet, intending to go up to check on his boyfriend. The teenager joined him, walking by his side as they strode up the stairs. They trod lightly as they approached the room, not wanting to accidentally wake Seto if he were asleep, but once they entered the bedroom, it became clear that there was no danger of that happening.

Seto was lying motionless on the mattress, curled up on his side around one of Yami's pillows with his head practically buried beneath the other. The sheets were all messed up as if he hadn't been able to decide if he was hot or cold, and had ended up pushing them down to the foot of the bed.

"Did you manage to get him to take some medicine?" Yami asked softly as he sat down on the edge of the mattress, stretching his fingers under the pillow to try and get a feel for the severity of Seto's fever. His cheek didn't seem to be any hotter than it'd been that morning at least, though his skin was clammy and whiter than usual.

"Yeah, I poured him some Nyquil. Probably why he's still asleep."

The former Pharaoh nodded, then sighed softly. He stood up and reached over to tug the blankets up over his boyfriend's prone body, smoothing them down carefully, then motioned to Mokuba to follow him out of the room. "I know he'll hate me for this, but I think we should have a doctor come out and take a look at him. Even if it's just a cold. Even if it just shaves a day off his recovery time."

Mokuba thought about arguing against it, knowing his brother's extreme dislike of doctors, but Yami did bring up a good point… Seto definitely hated being sick and stuck in bed even more. "Yeah, guess so..."

"I know he usually gets better pretty quickly on his own, but this time…" Yami's voice trailed off, and he looked behind him as if he expected Seto to come leaping out into the hallway to protest. "Despite what he thinks, he isn't back to 100 percent. The Grand Prix and theme park opening took a lot out of him. I keep thinking about him passing out and I'm afraid it'll happen again if he keeps going like this."

"It worries me too," Mokuba admitted as they arrived at his and Noa's bedroom. The green-haired teen looked up as they walked in, several different medicine bottles and blister packs of pills sitting in front of him, but didn't interrupt as Mokuba continued with, "Honestly, I wish he'd pass some of his work on to us. We could handle it. I mean, I _am_ Kaiba Corp.'s Vice President after all…"

"Have you suggested it to him?" Yami asked even as he smiled inwardly at the youngest Kaiba's confidence. But Mokuba was right. Despite his age, he was capable of overseeing most aspects of his brother's company. Anyone who disagreed with that had obviously never seen him at work.

Mokuba wandered over to his desk and picked up his cellphone, searching through the entries on it briefly before answering Yami. "He said he'd discuss it with me once he was done straightening up the third quarter financial reports. But I bet I could help with that too."

"Well, he might not have a choice now if it he gets worse," Noa pointed out, finally joining in on the conversation.

"Don't say that!" Mokuba exclaimed vehemently. "He'll be okay. We just need someone to come and take a look at him."

Noa put his hands up placatingly. He hadn't meant to upset his boyfriend, but it was unlikely that even a doctor would be able to prescribe an insta-cure for whatever was ailing Seto. "Even if it turns out to be just a mild cold, he won't get better unless he takes it easy for a while."

"Well, duh. Don't you think I know that?" Mokuba snapped.

Yami shook his head slightly. They were wasting their time arguing. As the adult, he figured he ought to take control of the situation, though he rarely felt the need to exercise that sort of authority since the brothers didn't seem to need it. "Well, let's do this: one of you call up a doctor, I'll get started on dinner, and…"

Mokuba gestured at his phone. "Already calling the doctor even as we speak."

"And I already called out for dinner while you were napping," Noa interrupted. "Hope Chinese sounds good to you."

"You should go keep an eye on Seto, make sure he hasn't kicked off his blankets again or something," Mokuba suggested to Yami right before turning his attention back to his phone. "Hello, Dr. Shioya…"

Yami managed a lopsided grin, then shrugged to himself and began to back out of the room. Well… darn it all… they were on top of things after all. But what else did he expect, knowing how the two teens were?

With nothing else to do until the doctor's arrival, Yami headed back to his and Seto's bedroom and crawled under the covers to lie beside his boyfriend. He didn't know much about illness and medicine – but he at least knew what he could do to make Seto feel a bit better. Reaching down within himself to find his energy reserves, he expanded his link with Seto and tapped into it. Almost immediately, the brunette rolled towards Yami and threw an arm over him, putting a slight smile on the ex-spirit's face. At least his efforts seemed to be appreciated.

But even as Yami began drifting off into a light doze, he was still concerned… he didn't know how much he could do for Seto if it turned out he was really sick, or how long he could maintain the energy feed for, given the duration of many illnesses. And he knew Seto would be mad about it when he finally woke, because just as Yami fretted over his lover's well-being, Seto worried about his in turn.

With a tired sigh, Yami looked down at Seto's sleeping face as the taller man lay curled up against him. His skin was slightly flushed with fever, but he didn't look to be in pain. And at least he was resting now…

Wrapping his arms around Seto, Yami rested his chin on the top of Seto's head and closed his eyes, surrendering to the urge to sleep. Was it worth possibly compromising his own health to try and shore up Seto's? For the moment at least, the answer was yes.

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes: 

- I'm basing Seto's bout of pneumonia off my spouse's experience with it, more or less. When he was younger, he was working long hours and not sleeping and eating enough… sounds like a certain young CEO, right? Anyhow, he ended up developing pneumonia and was out of commission for about six weeks. I guess the only good thing that came of it is that I now can write a fic about it so that Seto can experience the same hell -_-  
- A note about chapter titles. I'm yanking my titles off episodes of Virus Buster Serge. No particular reason, other than my brain keeps linking "virus" and "Virus." Incidentally, it's a mediocre anime (and yes I am a Masami Obari fan), though it tantalizingly dangles the possibility of a pretty hot pairing (Raven + Serge) in the first episode… and then drops the ball : p  
- Re: the dueling academy. Yes, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, I iz lookin' at u!  
- Re: Dr. Shioya. Roundabout way of making up a name (as opposed to just saying "the doctor," and also because I don't really care for making up names out of thin air) – Yoku Shioya is the seiyuu for Dr. Gensai from Rurouni Kenshin. So for those who've seen RK, you can just visualize Dr. Gensai for this role if you'd like (and do you know how hard it is to find a kindly elderly doctor character in anime? Most doctors in anime seem to be evil!)


	2. Ch 2: Deep Down Exposure

Disclaimer: Gatorade is a product of The Quaker Oats Company. Virus Buster Serge is the creation of Masami Obari. Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**The Cost of Doing Business**

**Ch. 2: Deep Down Exposure**

* * *

It was pretty late in the evening by the time the elderly doctor arrived at the mansion. Noa ushered him into the kitchen where a groggy Seto sat halfheartedly picking at reheated fried rice under Yami and Mokuba's watchful gazes. Seto wasn't happy to find out that a doctor had been called but was too tired to put up a fight over it, so without a word he accompanied the doctor to the closest guest room to undergo a medical examination. 

The exam was fairly brief. Given Seto's symptoms, Dr. Shioya's diagnosis was pneumonia, most likely caused by an influenza virus, though to be sure, he took a sputum culture for lab testing since the young CEO refused to go to his clinic for a chest x-ray or anything else. The doctor's prescribed treatment was similar to that for a flu: lots of fluids and bed rest – which elicited a frustrated groan from Seto – and an antiviral medication, oseltamivir, that would have to picked up from a pharmacy the following day.

"I still think the doctor's wrong. It's just a cold," Seto insisted as Yami ushered him up the stairs to put him to bed. It was only 10:34 PM, way too early for bed in Seto's opinion. Besides, he had slept away most of the evening already… and he needed to get some more work done. "Are you listening to me?!"

"Even if it is just a cold," _and I don't think it is, _"it doesn't hurt to go to bed early, Baby."

"I'm not a baby!" Seto groused, clearly feeling unwell.

Yami rolled his eyes, then patted his boyfriend on the ass to keep him moving forward, which he did, albeit reluctantly. "Well then, don't act like one."

"I'm not!" he complained, something akin to a whine coloring his voice.

But despite Seto's insistence that he didn't need or want to sleep, he was pretty much out like a light once Yami had gotten him under the covers and begun rhythmically petting his hair. It probably helped that Yami had also temporarily dammed the trickle of energy flowing between them, figuring that would make Seto feel sleepier. But once he was asleep, Yami carefully reinstated the flow in hopes that it would help speed up Seto's recovery.

With no reason to get back up and now starting to feel sleepy himself, the crimson-eyed man stayed in bed with his sleeping lover, stroking his hair every now and then, listening to the hitches in his breaths. The doctor had suggested getting a humidifier to help break up the phlegm building up in Seto's lungs; Yami put that on his to do list for the next day. He had also emphasized how important it was for Seto to stay hydrated, so getting a mini fridge for the room was probably a good idea too, in case he wanted his drinks cold, plus an electric kettle in case we wanted something hot instead. What else… the prescription of course, and a whole assortment of beverages like Gatorade and flavored water and tea since Yami had no clue what the brunette might be in the mood for. As it was, they were probably going to have to nag him to get him to drink enough to maintain his current body condition… if he didn't, he could end up hospitalized for dehydration or something worse, depending on how badly he let himself degrade. But Yami was determined to stay on top of him so that that wouldn't happen. And he knew the two younger Kaibas would do the same.

Seto stood the best chance of recovering quickly in the comfort of his own home, under their loving care. He just needed to give his body the opportunity it needed to fight off the infection on its own. The prescribed medication was just to help stop the virus from spreading further – assuming they had caught his illness early enough for it to work – but it couldn't magically "heal" him. Only his own immune system could do that.

Dr. Shioya had also written a prescription for oseltamivir tablets for Yami, Noa and Mokuba, since they were going to be Seto's caretakers. It wouldn't do if the three started getting sick while taking care of Seto… that would just make the situation a whole lot worse. And it was too late for immunization shots, never mind that the doctor wasn't certain of what type of virus Seto had caught. Plus that meant they'd have to warn Yugi-tachi off of hanging around the mansion… Yami didn't want them getting sick either. So no Friday nights at their place for a while.

At least the prognosis for Seto's recovery was good. The young billionaire was young and reasonably healthy, and his case of pneumonia didn't seem to be too severe, though the doctor did stress that it would take a few days before the lab could confirm his diagnosis. Yami also knew to keep an eye out for any worsening or additional symptoms, which could indicate a misdiagnosis or possibly a secondary infection.

Then, on top of all that, as if Yami weren't already getting a headache from it all… there was Kaiba Corp. to worry about. With Seto being on enforced bed rest for anywhere between a week to two months, someone was going to have to take up the company's reins, and Yami knew that Seto didn't believe his directors and executives were up to the task. Especially considering that the third quarter financial statements were all in "fucking chaotic disarray," to quote Seto, and there were so many projects on the table...

Fortunately though, since it was the middle of summer, Mokuba and Noa could easily fill in for Seto. Not that they had told him about that yet. He still thought he'd be able to telecommute from his bed. He was going to be pissed when he found out that Mokuba had hidden his laptop away somewhere…

Yami was suddenly jostled from his varied musings by a bump against his shoulder, as if Seto was unconsciously disapproving of the neighborhood his boyfriend's thoughts were lingering in. Or maybe he just wanted to rest and Yami's thinking was keeping at least part of his brain awake.

_All right, all right, I get the hint,_ Yami mentally murmured, twisting his torso a little so that he could wrap both arms around Seto's body, caressing him lightly while peppering his forehead with kisses. Seto pushed against him like a cat kneading its favorite human, then when he was finally satisfied with their positioning and the quieting of Yami's mind, he grew still again, his muscles relaxing back into deep sleep.

Seto definitely had the right idea. Plenty of time to think tomorrow when they were better rested. The ex-spirit planted one last kiss on Seto's forehead, and smiled at the tiny sound of approval he was rewarded with. _Good night._

* * *

The next morning, while Yami was out with Jounouichi getting all the things he had thought up the night before, Seto sat in bed and coughed and bitched at anyone who would listen. He was feeling restless; while lying idly in bed was something that many people enjoyed, it didn't suit him at all. Yes, he was tired and his head hurt and his lungs frickin' ached… but he didn't think he was _that_ much worse, and it wasn't like his brain had shriveled up and blown away, so he thought he ought to try and get some work done. Maybe he could make some headway on those damned financials… 

Except… Mokuba had taken his laptop and hidden it away somewhere. And he refused to tell him where it was.

Well, desperate times called for desperate measures. And since Seto knew full well that it was unlikely that he'd convince Mokuba to cooperate with him, he did the next best thing: he snuck out of his bedroom and grabbed Yami's computer from the game room and logged into Kaiba Corp.'s servers with it. Yeah, so maybe it sucked having to hide the thing under a pillow every time Mokuba or Noa poked their heads into his room. Maybe Yami would be mad that he had taken it in the first place. But it really wasn't his fault – Mokuba had forced him into it!

Seto couldn't help but be a bit proud of himself for having gotten away with it, though that didn't last long. When Yami got home and burst into the room with Noa and Mokuba in his wake, he knew the jig was up. Crimson eyes flashing, the former Pharaoh marched straight over to the bed and picked up the pillow to reveal the laptop hidden underneath. Then as Mokuba began getting on Seto's case yet again, Yami took the computer and marched right out of the room again, all without saying a word.

Seto had hoped that that would be the end of it, but he knew how Yami was – he wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily. So he patiently sat through Mokuba's lecture about taking it easy and getting better, watching from the corner of his eye as Yami returned with Jou trailing behind him, hauling all sorts of boxes and bags into the room. Wow, that was a lot of Gatorade. And was that a mini fridge they were starting to unpack?

After a few minutes the two men left again, this time with Noa in tow, only to come back with even more beverages, a humidifier, and a small bag from the pharmacy. Yami immediately handed the bag over to Mokuba, then turned to thank Jou for his assistance – the El Camino's truck bed being far more useful than the trunks of any of the sportscars – before sitting down with Noa to unpack and organize all the stuff that had been brought up.

Seto sighed as Mokuba stacked the contents of the bag onto the nightstand. There were four boxes of pills and the usual requisite fact sheet, which Mokuba instantly picked up and read aloud.

"For treatment of the flu… Flu? Well, I guess the symptoms are kinda similar… Capsules should be taken twice daily for five days. For prevention of the flu… once daily for at least ten days. Capsules can be taken with or without food. It is important to begin treatment within 12 to 48 hours from the first appearance of flu symptoms. Hmm, sounds pretty straightforward," Mokuba mumbled. He skipped ahead to side effects.

"The most common side effects are nausea and vomiting. Taking capsules with food may reduce the potential of these side effects. Inform your doctor if you have concerns, blah blah… Some incidences of self-injury and delirium have been reported. You should not take oseltamivir if you're allergic to… mmhmm, pregnant or nursing, kidney disease…"

"Screw the instruction sheet… just gimme the damn pills already," Seto snapped, coughing violently as he grabbed for a box and tore it open to dump the blister packed contents on the bed. Pretty much all medicines had the same type of standard warnings splattered all over them; all he had really needed to know was the dosage size and frequency. And this sounded like a fairly simple routine to follow… a tablet twice a day until it was all gone.

"Well, I hope it works. I mean, you don't have the flu, but I guess the virus being targeted is the same as whatever you have," Mokuba commented, helping himself to a capsule per the instructions and watching as Seto choked his down with a mouthful of water from a bottle Yami had tossed him. Then the black-haired teen tore off two individual blisters of pills to give to Yami and Noa before joining them on the floor to help finish cleaning up.

Seto sighed and watched as the rest of his family got the mini fridge dragged into the bathroom and plugged in and the humidifier set up. With no work and no computer, there wasn't anything for him to do. He was pretty bored… or maybe he was just tired. It was hard to tell. He was starting to feel a little lightheaded…

He decided to shut his eyes for a moment, just to rest them, but when he opened them again, everything had been put away and Yami was lying in bed, dozing against his shoulder.

"What the…?" Seto struggled to pull himself up a little, his muscles apparently having cramped from the awkward position he'd been lying in. Ugh, and that wasn't all – he felt unreasonably hot and his chest ached terribly. Maybe it was because Yami had practically slept on top of him… But he knew that wasn't the truth. The smaller man didn't have much more than his head and an arm on top of Seto. And the heat the brunette felt was coming from within. But he didn't want to consider what those things meant. It was a little easier to wonder instead about how he had managed to nod off with everyone in his room. Or had he blacked out? And for how long?

He looked over at Yami, who was beginning to stir now that he'd been jostled. He'd know. But he would also probably make a big deal out of it, saying that that was proof that Seto needed to rest, ignoring the fact that Seto had already been resting most of that morning, bored out of his skull. Seto figured that was probably what had put him to sleep – sheer boredom. And… yeah, maybe his fever and headache hadn't helped matters either.

Yami also hadn't said anything to Seto about his "borrowing" of the gaming computer yet. But he probably would find some way to add that into his "You need to rest, Baby" speech, even though here he was, asleep himself.

Come to think of it, why was he taking a nap? Was he getting sick too? God, Seto hoped that wasn't the case. Or was it just a side effect of the mind link? Perhaps it was better that they minimize it for the time being. Concentrating, he visualized their link and ran light mental fingers over it, soothed by the familiar resonance even as he contemplated shutting it down to the merest trickle, but there was something unexpected there…

Seto felt a rush of concern mixed with anger when he finally realized what it was that Yami was doing. Damn him… it was so like the ex-spirit to just go and throw himself into something potentially harmful like a one way energy feed without even asking Seto if he wanted it. Without considering how Seto would feel if it ended up getting Yami sick as well.

With as much force as he could muster, the young CEO shook his lover on the shoulder until his eyes finally opened. "Wake up damn it, we need to talk about this."

Yami scowled slightly, feeling only marginally better than Seto, but after a good stretch, he went ahead and sat up, feeling the echoes of pain in his chest recede a little. "What's wrong?" he asked, his eyes searching over Seto's face. "You're feeling worse, aren't you?"

Seto made a dismissive sound that sounded like an aborted cough. "That energy transfer thing… I don't want you doing it," he responded, completely ignoring Yami's second question.

"Why not? It ought to help..."

Seto cut him off angrily. "Or it might end up making you sick too! And then what, Mokuba and Noa would have to take care of us both? Don't be irresponsible, Yami."

"Irresponsible?" Yami snorted, flabbergasted. "No, irresponsible is working so hard that there isn't time to eat, sleep or anything. Irresponsible is getting sick as a result of that, then sneaking out of bed to grab a computer in order to keep working, not taking into consideration how other people might feel seeing said irresponsible person getting sicker while still pretending like nothing was wrong. So I find it ironic that you of all people would lecture me on responsibility," Yami finished bitterly.

"What, you think I WANT to be sick? I don't! Not only do I feel like shit, but I'm practically under house arrest, as if I have nothing better to do," Seto wheezed, his blue eyes flashing brightly against the pallor of his face.

Yami wanted to argue back, but he could hear Seto's labored breaths punctuating the momentary silence between them. There was no way he was going to get into a full-blown shouting match with someone who was struggling for each and every breath. He closed his eyes until he felt a bit calmer, then said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that… Seto, are you okay?"

"No I'm not fucking okay!" Seto tried to snarl, though it came out more like a harsh whisper. He was practically gasping for air now.

Yami shook his head, then reached out to touch Seto's arm. The taller man pulled away, but after seeing the look on Yami's face, he allowed his arm to drift back to the position it was in before, letting it brush against Yami's hand. Yami looked down, his fingers automatically entwining with Seto's, and sighed. _I know. You don't feel well, and it's only getting worse. _

_No shit!_

_And… I know it doesn't suit you to sit still, but you NEED to. You have to rest, Seto, or you won't get better._

_You don't get it… NO more energy transfers. I'd rather die than risk your life like that, _Seto argued back, as if they were negotiating a business deal. As if his own health were something they ought to be negotiating over.

Yami smiled grimly. He didn't need to point out that in a way, leaving Seto to fight off the infection alone carried just as much risk to his life, for if Seto were to succumb to his illness, it was unlikely that Yami would outlive him for any length of time. Not because of something as mundane as a broken heart, but because the bond they had forged through their lifetimes had twisted around them tightly enough to ensure that their souls would remain chained, forever. And the deeper that bond grew, the greater the benefits and the worse the repercussions. Not that Yami objected; he thought it was all worth it, the good and the bad.

But there was Yugi to consider. And there was a chance that someday, Yugi too would become tangled up in their connection, despite Yami's attempts to keep the links clear and separate. Thankfully, his other half did not seem to be in any immediate danger. But it was a risk inherent with crossing one's soul with another's, one that none of them had ever really discussed. Not that Yami though Yugi could be convinced to shut down their connection for any reason, for on some level, Yami knew that both Yugi and Seto were as aware of the risks as he was, and had accepted them as part of their lives.

As if displeased where Yami's thoughts had taken him, or maybe just growing impatient with the lack of response, Seto mentally prodded his boyfriend. _Why are we even talking about it? You know I could just shut it down if I wanted to. But then you'd just find another way to start it up again without telling me._

He was right of course, and Yami knew that he was fighting a losing battle. Besides, he didn't want to be fighting anyway… it was unpleasant, it was unnecessary, and it was sapping away at Seto's already dwindling energy reserves. _All right. No more. Not without your permission,_ Yami finally agreed. No, he didn't like it, but he could see that there was a certain logic to it… at least this way, he'd have the energy to tend to Seto's needs, to help him rest and recover under his care. He just hoped that that would be enough.

Satisfied with their agreement, Seto nodded slowly as Yami pulled back from his mind until there was nothing left but the bare, basic link that always connected them. Then he shifted on the bed, trying to find a comfortable position to lie in, finally ending up bonelessly sprawled on his back, one arm wrapped awkwardly around the base of Yami's hip. Nothing he did seemed to make the weight on his chest go away, so he just gave up on worrying about it. He was so damn tired… but he didn't want to sleep either. He had slept enough.

_Want me to bring you anything?_ Yami asked gently.

Seto gave a tired snort. _My computer would be nice._

Yami chuckled. _I don't think anything's going to get Mokuba to surrender it while you're sick. Though perhaps I could be persuaded to bring mine back…_

Seto let his head slowly roll to the side to give his lover a rather incredulous look._ Seriously?_

_I reserve the right to take it away if you look like you're starting to push yourself too hard, _the crimson-eyed man warned him, his tone making it clear that there was no room for debate there. _But, I know you're probably bored. And maybe doing a bit of light – and I meant LIGHT – work will help calm your nerves and help you sleep better as well._

There was a soft sigh, then Seto curled up a little closer to Yami. He shut his eyes, his body shuddering involuntarily as his lungs tightened up, then, anticipating yet another fight, he reluctantly said, _As much as you hate thinking about it, I still have responsibilities to my company…_

_You also have a responsibility to yourself, and to us, to get better. Besides, you are blessed with two very capable Vice Presidents who are ready and willing to fill in for you. Mokuba and Noa are young, yes, but I think they're capable of taking care of any issues that may arise while you're recovering._

Seto's eyes flew open, and he looked back up at the ex-spirit with a slight frown. Yami's statement was only partially true. While Mokuba was Kaiba Corp.'s VP, Noa wasn't… well, he wasn't anything in the company. Not that Seto hadn't been considering it, especially in light of how well Noa had handled Siegfried von Schroider at the KC Grand Prix, but he hadn't actually come to a decision. Had Mokuba gone over his head and promoted Noa? _Noa isn't…_

Yami was quick to correct his previous statement. _Ah, no. I didn't mean it like that. But he and Mokuba… they kinda work as a team. And you can't tell me you've never considered it._

_I have. I just haven't decided… I don't even know what the problem is, I… I trust him don't I?_

_Do you?_

Seto shut his eyes again, taking the opportunity to think. Then his shoulders relaxed a bit. _Mokuba trusts him. That's more than enough for me._

Knowing that it wasn't a good time to press the issue, Yami left things at that. At least Seto wasn't flat out refusing to add his adopted brother to his company's roster of executives. He just needed some time to mull it over, maybe consider how he himself felt about Noa instead of how Mokuba felt. Because unless the two older Kaibas came to understand and accept each other strictly for themselves, they would always harbor some seeds of doubt and distrust, and Yami didn't want to see another situation like the one a few months ago, where Seto had tried to choke Noa. For as much as he loved Seto, he had also come to care deeply for Noa as well and didn't want to see him hurt in any way.

_So, are you going to get your laptop? _Seto asked a bit hopefully, cutting into Yami's thoughts. He opened one eye, trying to get a read on his lover's expression.

Well, he _had_ offered it… _All right. But only if you agree to finish off the rest of that bottle of water. _Yami gesticulated at the nightstand. _We need to keep you hydrated._

_Mm. _

About as happy as he could be with their compromises, Yami headed out of the bedroom and down the hall towards the game room to fetch his gaming system. On the way back, he decided to stick his head into Noa and Mokuba's room to see what they were up to. Surprisingly, they weren't there.

Going on a hunch, he peeked into Seto's upstairs office next, and found the two teens in there working diligently. Mokuba had pulled a chair up to Seto's desk – apparently, he had felt that Seto's chair was too big for him, figuratively speaking – and was talking on his headset to someone about scheduling an interview while trying to answer emails or something at the same time. On the other side of the room at the smaller project table, Noa was conducting a video conference of some sort, discussing glitches that he had found in one of the games. It was all rather chaotic, but… it put a smile on Yami's face, too; they were both so much like their older brother.

Not wanting to distract the pair, Yami silently shut the door behind him and returned to Seto's bedroom. Part of him hoped that the brunette had fallen asleep while he was gone, but when he stepped into the room, Seto opened his eyes and blinked slowly at him. He looked like shit.

"Took you long enough," the taller man grumbled, coughing as he sat up with some effort.

Yami smiled thinly as he handed over his computer, then gave Seto a light kiss on the forehead, gauging his temperature. It almost felt like he was pressing his lips against an oven. He was amazed that Seto was still conscious. The brunette really ought to be sleeping… but hopefully, a little work and maybe a massage would remedy the situation.

"Remember, if I think you're working too hard, I'm taking it back," Yami reminded his boyfriend, sitting down beside him and plumping up the pillows up so that Seto would be more comfortable. Because getting comfortable meant getting sleepy, and he was all for that.

"Hn." Seto started up the laptop, logging into the server with Yami's info so as to hopefully fly under Mokuba's radar. Yeah, right… who was he kidding? He expected Mokuba to come barreling into the room at any moment. But until then…

Finally logged on and with Mokuba nowhere in sight, Seto allowed himself to lean back, sinking into the plush nest Yami was assembling around him like a busy little bird, though he tried not to get too comfortable lest he fall asleep again. But Yami was starting to rub his arms and his shoulders, snuggling close to him, making him feel sooo cozy. He felt his eyelids close for a moment, and had to struggle to force them open again. _Goddamn it!_ He had work to do, a veritable minefield of financial reports to crawl through… God, whoever filled out this particular report had no concept of basic math… and no amount of snuggling or massaging… or head scratching… or… or…

Yami smiled to himself as Seto finally slipped into a light doze, his fingers still on the keyboard. He wasn't in the most comfortable position to be sleeping in, but at least he was resting, and Yami wasn't going to risk moving him for fear of waking him up. So after silently shutting down the computer, he left it where it was, and although he wasn't sleepy any longer, he too remained where he was, at Seto's side.

* * *

TBC 

Author's Notes:  
- Re: oseltamivir. This is a real flu medicine (though I opted to use the generic name instead of the brand name), and the dosage and safety instructions are also real, though paraphrased (far too long for me to want to write down the entire thing, and Mokuba was really just skimming them anyways). So no, I'm not making up imaginary pills. These just happen to suit my needs for this fic : )  
- Re: mind link binding Seto and Yami's lives. I know it's morbid, but anytime someone asks me about what the distant future holds for these two, all I can think is, "Well, they'd die eventually, whether of old age or disease or whatnot." I mean, (duh) that's reality. Just most people don't die simply because their lover dies. But perhaps the example that best illustrates this would be conjoined twins. When one dies, the other one always dies soon afterwards. Now, for me, Seto and Yami aren't quite _that_ tightly bonded at this point (though keep in mind that while their bond in this lifetime is only a bit over a year old, they've been tied together much longer due to their past lives), definitely not to the extent where one dying would immediately kill the other, but given enough time, that is how tight their bond would become. Yes, morbid thoughts indeed, though I think they'd prefer that rather than facing the prospect of living without their lover.  
- Re: mind link binding Yami and Yugi's lives. As far as Yugi getting caught up with Seto and Yami, obviously in canon, Yami goes on to the afterlife and Yugi survives fine without him, but I think if instead of being together a few years they'd been together a longer period of time… losing that link with Yami would have to affect Yugi deeply. But I don't know when exactly that line would be crossed, and neither do Yami or Yugi. It would be likely that by the time they realized it, it'd be too late to do anything about it since they'd already be stuck. Also, the fact that I don't think Yami and Yugi are at the point of no return yet does not mean that their bond is lesser than the bond Yami and Seto share... it's a different type of connection, and is also (technically) a younger one.  
- Please review: D


	3. Ch 3: The Struggle Within

Disclaimer: Virus Buster Serge is the creation of Masami Obari. Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**The Cost of Doing Business**

**Ch. 3: The Struggle Within**

* * *

Yami was astonished by how badly Seto's condition deteriorated overnight. Somehow he had gone from being sick but still more or less functional, to being a burning hot, sweaty, incoherent mess, all in less than 12 hours.

It didn't seem possible for Seto to get worse that fast, but he did. As Mokuba called the doctor back up, Yami held Seto's hand and silently blamed himself. He berated himself for withdrawing his mind linked support even though Seto had demanded it; he thought maybe he hadn't been on top of things, whether it was medication, food or fluid intake. He even wondered if it had been a mistake for him to offer Seto his computer, even though he hadn't done very much work after all was said and done. But a second visit from Dr. Shioya helped him absolve himself of the blame… a little.

It turned out that Seto had most likely developed bacterial pneumonia on top of the viral pneumonia that he already had, not an uncommon occurrence according to the doctor. There wasn't much he could do other than to take yet another sputum sample – a bit more difficult this time since Seto seemed to have trouble comprehending what was being asked of him – and prescribe some antibiotics to go along with the oseltamivir he was already taking for the viral infection. Other than that, it was more of the same: make sure Seto got rest and plenty of fluids, keep an eye out for any changes in his condition. If he continued to worsen… if he couldn't breathe or his temperature kept climbing, he'd have to be hospitalized.

After a quick trip to the pharmacy to fill the new prescriptions, Yami rushed home to find Mokuba hovering worriedly over his big brother, wiping the sweat off his forehead. Seto's temperature had crept up a half degree in the short time the crimson-eyed man was gone.

"I called Dr. Shioya again," Mokuba explained quickly when he saw the look on Yami's face. "He said Seto's borderline… He wants us to really keep a close eye on his temperature. If it goes any higher, even a little bit, he thinks we'll should check him into a hospital."

Yami felt his breath catch as he considered Mokuba's words. Physically, Seto had always seemed… invulnerable. Superhuman, really. How else could you describe a man capable of working long hours with amazing results, with almost no sustenance or rest? But perhaps they had all gotten a little too used to Seto pulling off the impossible on a daily basis, thinking that he couldn't possibly be affected by it, thinking that he'd be able to do it forever. And now reality was slapping them all in the face.

"He'll be okay. You know how tough Seto is," Noa's voice said, and Yami looked up to see the green-haired teen standing on the other side of the bed. Yami had been so distracted, he hadn't even heard him come in.

"I know. It's just… difficult seeing him like this," Yami replied in a low voice. "I wish I could do more for him," and he gestured at his head, "but I gave him my word… He was afraid that I'd get sick too. He's probably right, but still…"

"It isn't your fault," Mokuba said softly. "It's not anyone's."

"Yeah, but it'd be easier if we could just blame someone for this," Noa grumbled, thinking back to the KC Grand Prix and Siegfried's computer virus. Too bad humans didn't work like computer systems, or else they could just run the proper anti-virus to eradicate the infection, but then again, that would suck too. As much as Noa liked computers and technology, he never wanted to be stuck in a virtual world again.

"Like Siegfried?" Mokuba finally queried, and Noa managed a grim smile at that, realizing that his boyfriend had tracked his train of thought.

"Technically, it is partially his fault…" And speaking of the Grand Prix and business matters… "Mokuba, should I tell your 9:45 to reschedule?"

"Huh?" Mokuba glanced at the clock. It was a few minutes past already… What did he have scheduled for that time slot? "I had a phone conference for… something. Oh yeah, that interview."

Noa nodded. The day before, Mokuba had worked out a deal with some reporter for a teen magazine; he had decided that it was worth putting himself out as bait in exchange for some publicity for Kaiba Corp.'s upcoming product releases. Noa had been rather unenthusiastic about the deal but since Mokuba was better about public relations stuff than he was, he ended up seconding the idea.

The black-haired teen chewed his lip a little as he glanced back down at Seto's limp form. He didn't really want to do the interview… he knew he was distracted and that he'd probably say something dumb because of it. But he also knew… Seto would expect him to fulfill his duties to Kaiba Corp.

"I won't leave his side," Yami reassured Mokuba, sensing his indecision.

Stormy gray eyes flickered up to meet steady crimson ones. Mokuba knew Yami meant what he said, it was just that it was going to be hard walking away when he knew Seto needed him, or someone else that he could trust, at least. "Thanks, Yami," Mokuba finally answered, standing up to leave. "Boy, I hope this reporter lady won't be too pissy."

"She better not be. You're doing her a favor, not the other way around. And besides, you're only a little late anyways," Noa said haughtily as he accompanied his boyfriend out of the room and to the office down the hall.

Yami couldn't help but smile a little as the teens departed. They were really doing a good job dealing with everything going on. Even Seto, anal retentive as he was, would be proud of how quickly they had stepped up to take care of things at his company.

Yami supposed it wouldn't hurt for him to take a few KC projects under his wing as well – despite his lack of experience Seto had had him handle things here and there before – though he knew that looking after his boyfriend would be by far his number one priority. After all, Mokuba was trusting him to take care of Seto. And the former Pharaoh was serious about living up to that responsibility.

Everyone always told Yami that Seto had changed for the better after they had hooked up, but Mokuba too had benefited from it. For much of his life, the black-haired teen had been the only one who had really supported and looked out for his big brother. It was a lot to expect out of someone so young, though Mokuba had always considered it a privilege, not a burden. But over the years, he had learned to let go of that, just a little. He had learned that there were other people they could rely on, that friendship was a strength and not a liability… that taking care of Seto didn't have to be solely his responsibility. That he wasn't the only one who could love Seto for who he truly was.

Still, that didn't mean that he was going to cede Seto to Yami, ever. Mokuba, just like Seto, would always consider it his right to have a say in what went on in his brother's life. And Yami expected nothing less. Even as recently as the KC Grand Prix, Mokuba chose to skip out on his own birthday party rather than leave Seto's side after he passed out, even though he knew Yami would be there. But that didn't bother the ex-spirit. His lover would always be… a real handful, to put it mildly.

But for now, Mokuba was focusing his energies on taking care of the family business, along with Noa. It was the smart and obvious choice since Yami didn't really have any business training or experience beyond those little projects Seto had tossed his way. But given his druthers, Mokuba would rather be by his brother's side. And Yami knew it. That's why he thought it'd be a fair trade if he were to work on some Kaiba Corp. stuff, to buy Mokuba a bit more time with Seto.

Now Yami just needed to figure out what sort of project he was qualified to handle…

* * *

The first coherent thought that crossed Seto's fevered mind was, _Gotta get up…_

He had the vague memory of someone touching his shoulder, shaking it, then helping him to sit up. It could've been a few seconds ago… or a minute. Had it been more than that? He knew from experience that it wouldn't take the tutor very long to summon Gozaburo, if he were home. He probably was. That old bastard was going to be pissed that he had fallen asleep again. He'd come storming in with his riding crop or switch in hand. He wouldn't hesitate to wake Seto with a beating… it had happened plenty of times before.

But maybe he was wrong. Maybe Gozaburo had already come by, or perhaps his tutor had taken it upon himself to discipline him. That happened sometimes too. All the brunette knew was that his body ached badly, as if he'd been pummeled. And it felt like something, or _someone_, was pressing down on his chest, making it hard to draw breath.

Well, whoever it was was pretty stupid if they thought he was still asleep. With his eyes still shut, Seto lashed out with his hand, scrabbling for a wrist or a shirt or anything. There was a soft grunt as he clumsily connected with some fabric, a moment of struggling by his adversary… and then a familiar, gentle voice called his name.

Surprised, Seto forced open his eyes… and was met with wide crimson ones in return.

_Baby… you okay?_ Yami asked, sounding surprisingly calm considering there was a hand knotted in the collar of his shirt. Then again, Seto's grip was lacking its usual strength, so it was more inconvenient than anything. Yami could've probably pried himself loose, but he was holding a bottle of water in one hand and a damp washcloth in the other.

Seto held on for a moment longer, as if he couldn't believe it was Yami standing before him instead of Gozaburo or one of his cronies, then finally relaxed his fingers enough for Yami's shirt to easily slide out of his grip. _Sorry… _he managed to get out as his arm fell limply back onto the bed.

_You okay?_ the ex-spirit asked again.

The taller man nodded slowly. But to be honest, he wasn't really sure. Now that he was a little more lucid, he remembered that he'd been diagnosed with pneumonia, that he'd been sick for several days… but he didn't remember being quite this sick. He felt overwhelmingly drowsy and sore, and his skin was slick with sweat. His head throbbed and the entire room seemed to be tilting. Every cough made the constricting sensation in his lungs worse, as if there were big rubber bands snapped tight around his chest. Before he could stop himself, an involuntary moan of pain escaped his lips.

Yami's lips tightened. Wordlessly, he sat down and began pressing the washcloth against Seto's forehead, wiping off the beads of sweat accumulating there before rinsing the cloth in a small basin of water by the bed, then repeating the process.

'_S my fever worse? _Seto asked, his eyes fluttering shut again.

Yami made an affirmative sound. _The doctor came by again this morning… You probably don't remember it._

Seto gave a tiny shake of his head, but all that did was make him dizzy and nauseous. He couldn't believe how hard it was to gather his thoughts, even though he swore he'd been asleep for endless hours already. He felt himself slumping a bit, but Yami used his shoulder to buttress his lover up before he could crumple onto the mattress.

_Don't fall asleep yet. I know you're tired, but you need to drink something,_ the former Pharaoh whispered. Seto heard the cracking of the water bottle as the seal on the lid was broken, then there was plastic pressed against his lips and cool liquid splashing into his mouth. He tried his best to swallow as much as he could, but all he really wanted to do was go back to sleep. Or take a bath. One or the other. He felt sticky and disgusting. Maybe he could try sleeping in the bathtub…

Yami was beginning to wipe off his face again. Seto pressed against the washcloth, wondering how well it would function as a pillow. He normally wasn't one to sleep much, but the desire to slip back into slumber was overwhelming.

_Lie down,_ the younger duelist finally said after a minute, and Seto was quick to comply, dropping onto the sheets in exhaustion, dully registering the sound of water splashing and the slapping of cold cloth on his neck and chest. It seemed Yami was trying to give him something of a sponge bath. Not quite as good as the real thing, but good enough; at least Seto was free to sleep through it if he felt inclined to do so.

As his lover drifted back to into a fitful sleep, Yami continued with his task, trying to make Seto as comfortable as possible, even if he wasn't aware of his efforts. It was probably better that he was unaware, actually… Seto was a man who was proud of his self-sufficiency; he would dislike the idea that he'd require round the clock care regardless of how sick he was. And he was a lot sicker than he'd care to admit.

At least once every two hours, Yami had to wake the taller man and encourage him to drink or eat or take pills. Not that Seto was really awake for the most part. And in the intervals in between, he had to keep an eye on what Seto's body language was trying to tell him. Despite his high fever, Seto swung from shivering as if he were freezing to sweating nonstop. He'd kick the blankets off one minute and start clawing for them the next. He would restlessly roll over the expanse of mattress, stopping to sleep wherever it was dry enough or warm enough or cold enough for his liking, then once that spot no longer suited him, he'd begin rolling around again. It had gotten bad enough that Yami had given up on the idea of sleeping in the same bed with Seto for the time being… he'd make do with a sleeping bag on the floor, or the couch and a blanket, for as many nights as needed.

But all things considered, Yami didn't really mind the inconvenience. And though of course he didn't like the fact that Seto was sick, he did like taking care of his boyfriend, as oddly maternal as that sounded. Hell, he liked taking care of everyone, protecting them, being both friend and guardian. It was just in his nature he supposed. That was why he knew it wasn't enough for him to just take care of Seto… he had to make sure that Noa and Mokuba didn't end up following too closely in their big brother's footsteps while he was out of commission. After all, it was Seto's penchant for too much work and too much stress with too little rest and relaxation that had driven his immune system over the breaking point. Yami didn't want to see the teens picking up Seto's self-destructive habits and ending up sick as well.

After taking a quick glance at the clock, Yami reluctantly stood up. He wasn't taking very good care of Noa and Mokuba at the moment, now that he thought about it. The two younger Kaibas had been subsisting on takeout ever since Seto fell ill. Not very health conscious considering that they all needed to stay in good physical condition so that they too wouldn't fall victim to Seto's virus. Besides, it'd also be good for Seto if Yami were to cook something, since he was far more likely to eat whatever Yami whipped up rather than fried rice or burgers from an indeterminable origin. And since the brunette had just fallen asleep, Yami had a little time on his hands, which would be enough to allow for him to make a nice pot of soup and maybe prep for a second.

Decision made, Yami did one last check on Seto, pulling up the covers again as his lover began to shiver minutely. Then he headed over to Seto's office to inform Mokuba and Noa that he'd be downstairs, in the kitchen, and asked if they could please check in on Seto from time to time in his stead.

"No problem," Mokuba readily agreed, thinking it might help Yami unwind a little to do something as mundane as making dinner. Not that he'd tell him that. Yami was far more likely to do something for himself if he thought he was doing someone else a favor.

Yami gave the black-haired teen a slight smile, then left.

Noa watched out of the corner of his eye as the crimson-eyed man departed, then told his boyfriend, "You know, it wouldn't hurt for you to take a break…"

Mokuba's fingers stilled as he caught wind of Noa's suggestion. He was in the middle of a three-way text "chat" with the production team and public relations in regards to advertising on one of their channels… it'd be irresponsible of him to push that aside and instantly run to Seto's side when he didn't need immediate attention. He knew Yami wouldn't even think of making dinner if that was the case.

So after taking a deep breath, he told Noa, "I know. And I'll check on him in a little bit. This shouldn't take too long. It's pretty important and I don't want it to get pushed back further. You could use a break too, you know."

"Yeah…" He looked at the endless lines of code he'd been touching up since there were a few glitches in that segment of the MMORPG that the programmers just couldn't seem to fix without breaking something else. Sloppy, sloppy work… he'd be better off writing it from scratch, in all honesty. Plus they were already over their internal deadlines, which he found to be intolerable. Noa wished he had the authority to fire them all, or something… but the best he could do was have Mokuba authorize overtime. "I want to get this fixed and back to the programming crew ASAP. They're going to need pull long hours on this as it is and I said I'd have it back to them before the end of the workday."

After a moment's thought, Mokuba accepted Noa's explanation with a quick nod. He figured Seto would be pretty pleased if the green-haired teen could untangle some of the problems were threatening to cause delays for the release date of their highly anticipated online role-playing game. It'd give him more reason to consider offering Noa a suitable position at Kaiba Corp.

That decided, the pair turned their attention back to their respective tasks. Minutes silently slipped by, sped up by all their work, and before they knew it, it was nearly 6 PM, officially ending the workday at Kaiba Corp. So much for their planned breaks...

Noa had just finished transferring the last of the touched up data files onto the KC server for the programming team when Mokuba suddenly stood up and cocked his head.

"Did you hear that?" Mokuba asked, one hand still on his keyboard. He had been in the middle of logging off of the messaging program when he had heard a muffled sounding thump from somewhere outside the office.

"Hear what?"

"… I thought I heard something." He quickly glanced at his monitor to confirm that he was signed off, then looked back over at the door, worry evident in his eyes. "I think I better go check on Seto."

"I'll come with you," Noa volunteered, rising to his feet after signing off of his own laptop.

As soon as the two teens left the room, it became apparent what the source of the sound was. Seto lay on the carpet several feet from the door, twitching slightly, his head and shoulders cradled in Yami's lap. He was mumbling something about deadlines between pained breaths while weakly trying to push Yami away.

"Ah!" Mokuba was on the floor in an instant, leaning over to brush sweat slicked hair off of Seto's face. The stubborn strands were so damp that they continued to cling on to chalky skin despite his efforts. "Yami, what happened?"

Yami shook his head slightly, bangs swaying. "He was thinking that he had some project due or something… I'm not exactly sure. I can't… I have to be careful of how deeply we're linking, or else I start feeling sick too. But I tried to tell him there wasn't a project, that he needed to stay in bed… but he's so disoriented that I don't think he understood…" He looked up, guilt bleeding into his eyes. "I ran up here immediately, but he had already hauled himself out of bed and collapsed here in the hallway."

There wasn't much Mokuba could say to that. They were all equally culpable in their failure to keep an eye on Seto. "Nii-sama…" he whispered, plaintively.

Seto stirred at that, his eyes opening a crack to confirm ownership of the voice before snapping them shut, as if it were too painful to keep them open. "Mokuba…" he panted unsteadily, "already told you… don' have time to play with you… have to finish… for Gozaburo…"

_Gozaburo? _"Nii-sama? What do you mean?"

"… deadline…" Seto managed to murmur before he was overtaken by a coughing fit.

Mokuba looked as if someone had just slapped him across the face. He seized Seto's shoulders, fighting against the urge to shake them, instead leaning over his brother to assert, "Nii-sama, there's no deadline. Gozaburo died years ago… don't you remember?"

A faint wheeze was Seto's only response. He was fading fast.

"Let's just get him back to bed…" Noa finally suggested, touching Mokuba's shoulder lightly. It wasn't doing Seto or anyone else any good to be just sitting there stupidly in the hallway.

Yami nodded and began to pull his lover up into a sitting position, encouraging him to wrap his arms around his neck so that he could help him up. The taller man complied for a few seconds, but once he got a foot planted on the ground, he pushed away from his lover and almost ended up face down on the carpet again. Mokuba and Noa managed to grab him before he fell, but Seto reacted violently, flinching as their hands made contact, flailing at them blindly in return. He even snapped his teeth and snarled when Yami finally got a hold of one arm and the teens grabbed the other, but somehow they managed to wrestle him back into a sitting position without anyone getting bitten.

"I had another hour! You said I had another hour!" the frantic brunette insisted as they all struggled to hold him in place, as if his cries would somehow convince them to release him.

Yami was both amazed and horrified at how desperate Seto seemed to be to break free of their hold. Considering how sick he was, he was putting up a pretty good fight. "Seto… calm down!"

"Stop hiding behind your goons!" Seto howled, eyes wide, staring blankly at some point in the middle of the hallway. He suddenly jerked as if he'd been struck. "Do it yourself, you old bastard!" he screamed, even louder than before.

"Nii-sama, Gozaburo's dead!" Mokuba yelled back, his voice cracking from the strain. "He's dead, I swear!"

Perhaps it was Mokuba's voice, or just the course the latent memory had taken, but just as quickly as it had started, Seto abruptly went limp, gasping for air as he doubled over as if someone had kicked him in the gut.

Seconds passed. All three of them were afraid to let go in case Seto suddenly became combative again, but although he continued to twitch, his face taut with pain,whatever had been going through his head had apparently run its course and left him nearly unconscious.

No one said a word. What could they say? But the silence was getting to be very awkward, and the entire time, Seto was leaning more and more heavily against them, covered in such a profuse amount of sweat that their grips on him were slipping.

"If I get his shoulders, and one of you takes his feet, and the other one spots, we shouldn't have any problem putting him back in bed," Yami finally said, his voice rough.

"Okay…" Noa slowly responded. He rose to his feet, swallowing hard. Then, as if searching for something else to say, he lamely tacked on, "I guess someone needs to be with him at all times now."

Yami tilted his head in agreement as he too stood up and began rearranging his hold on Seto so that he could lift his torso. Unfortunately, Seto was completely out cold now, his long arms dangling and his head lolling back, and it took Noa and Yami's combined effort to safely get him off the ground. "I cou…"

"I'll stay with him," Mokuba interrupted, scrambling to his feet to pick up Seto's legs, fighting down the sense of helplessness that threatened to overwhelm him. As much as he loved Yami, after what had just happened, he wanted to be the one that Seto woke up to. His brother would probably need some reassurance that things were okay… that they weren't living back in the hell that had nearly destroyed him.

Yami looked as if he wanted to argue, but he didn't. Even he had to acknowledge that Mokuba was better equipped to deal with Seto's ghosts than he. Tight lipped, he said, "I guess I should finish up dinner then. Seto will need to eat, once he wakes up."

"Yeah. And… ready when you are," Mokuba replied, tossing his head. "Are you two just going to back up until we're in his bedroom?"

Noa grunted. At least Seto hadn't gotten very far out of his room, not that it'd be too difficult to carry him with all three of them sharing the load. "Guess that works."

With a bit of teamwork, they managed to get him back into bed, and Mokuba immediately picked up where Yami had left off previously, wiping the perspiration from his brother's face, doing whatever he could to make him comfortable. Noa sat down beside his boyfriend, lending Mokuba his silent support and offering assistance where he could.

For several minutes, Yami just stood and watched Mokuba's ministrations, but he finally had to give in to the urge to get back down to the kitchen. They could all use a good meal. "Let me know if his condition changes. I'll bring dinner up in a little bit," he finally said softly, and, knowing that he wouldn't get a verbal response, he turned and padded out the door, shutting it carefully behind him.

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes:  
- Let's see how many people go, "Ah ha, you set us up for Seto's hallucinations last chapter with the warnings on the pills!" And there are in fact a small number of cases where young people who were on oseltamivir had such severe delusions that they killed themselves. Not that I'm claiming that it's all because of the medication, because there is no hard proof of that, and I'm not here to promote or oppose the use of this medication. And so I'll be purposely leaving the reasons WHY vague in this story. But my guess as an uneducated not-doctor: very high fever plus some sort of reaction to the medication is likely what caused the severe hallucinations.  
- I'm one of those people who believes that Yami (at 5'4" and (at my own estimation, not officially) 105-110 lbs.) can pick Seto (6'1", and unofficially 150-155 lbs.) up and carry him, if needed. But that said, trying to lift dead weight is much harder than trying to lift a willing participant, and I can just see Seto's long limbs dangling and flopping all over the place if Yami tried to carry him on his own. Plus Yami has two teenage boys (both now taller than him) that are standing there, capable of helping, so why not put them to good use?


	4. Ch 4: The Path Via Hell

Disclaimer: Virus Buster Serge is the creation of Masami Obari. Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**The Cost of Doing Business**

**Ch. 4: The Path Via Hell**

* * *

"Why is Yugi here?" Seto asked again, in case Mokuba hadn't heard him the first time. Or maybe he had, and Seto just hadn't caught the answer… That was entirely possible. He couldn't be sure. He felt… a little off. 

"Nii-sama, that's not Yugi," Mokuba replied, patient as ever. Actually, it was the third time Seto had asked, but the black-haired teen saw no reason to point that fact out since all it would do was make Seto feel stupid for repeating himself.

Seto squinted at the slightly annoyed, slightly amused crimson-eyed man standing silently by the bed. Crimson eyes… Why was Mokuba being so nitpicky anyway? Yugi went by Yugi, regardless of which one it was. "Fine, the _other_ Yugi," Seto growled, coughing as he fought to get some air back into his lungs. "Why is the _other_ Yugi here?"

Mokuba wondered if he should correct him. Yami hadn't said a thing. But Mokuba felt bad for him… it had to bother him that Seto didn't recognize him. "_Yami _is here because he's your boyfriend," Mokuba finally told his ailing brother, emphasizing the name.

"Yami… not Yugi…" Seto mumbled, as if comparing them in his head. As if hearing the name cleared up the fog around his mind, at least momentarily. He shut his eyes, then opened them again to study the figure behind Mokuba. Yes, that was Yami, wasn't it? And Yami was his boyfriend… he had been for a while now. Why had he gotten confused? "Sorry… I'm sorry."

Swallowing his bruised pride, Yami gave his lover a thin smile. "It's okay, Seto."

"It's not!" the brunette insisted, his growing agitation causing yet another coughing fit, each breathless shudder jostling sore muscles, making them feel ten times worse, which in turn seemed to elicit a need for extra breaths and hence, even more coughing. He groaned at the stupidity of it all. Too bad breathing wasn't optional.

Mokuba sighed softly and sat down on the edge of the bed, lightly patting his brother on the shoulder. "It's okay, Nii-sama," he whispered, helplessly echoing what Yami had said moments earlier. He didn't know what else to do. He hated sitting there, having to listen as Seto coughed hard enough to hack up a lung or two, watching him weakly struggling against his nightmares only to wake up dazed and confused… being unable to do a thing about any of it.

Seto tried to shake his head. No matter what Mokuba and Yami said, it wasn't okay. It didn't matter how sick he was, or how high his fever was; there was no excuse for forgetting about Yami, even for a minute. Well, not that he'd actually forgotten _him_, just… the last couple of years of their life together. Ugh, that only made it worse. But for some reason when Seto had woken up and spotted Yami standing at his bedside, his mind had completely blanked. He couldn't remember where he was or what had happened, or if he was even asleep or awake. And he wasn't sure if he was even supposed to recognize the oddly familiar, nameless man standing there, staring at him. Desperately, he had grasped at the first likely name that had lazily floated into reach: Yugi. But remembering the name "Yugi" had triggered a whole different set of memories than "Yami," and it had colored the way he saw him.

At least the crimson-eyed man had been smart enough to yell for Mokuba instead of trying to deal with the situation alone. Being sick didn't change the fact that Seto's first line defense was always offense, and though he usually wouldn't have considered Yugi a threat, being disoriented as he was, anything could have happened. Really, blanking on Yami's identity was almost minor in comparison to Seto's flip out in the hallway two days prior, or the even more dramatic screaming fit yesterday, during which Seto had thrashed about in bed with such violence that he had nearly pitched himself onto the floor, gurgling cries punctuating the air with each muscle spasm, as if someone or something was tearing him apart. Not that Seto remembered any of it; hell, it was doubtful that he'd remember mistaking Yami for Yugi later on…

But, for the moment at least, that was the one thought that clung to Seto's mind. And it wasn't something that he thought even his sickness could excuse. Yami should've been so mad. He had every right. But he looked more concerned than anything. So Seto took it upon himself to be angry about it, berating himself for his lapse. He deserved to be sick and miserable. He didn't know why Yami was still there, trying to hold his hand, trying to make him feel better… when all he was doing was reminding Seto of why he ought to feel guilty.

Seto pulled away with a soundless snarl, laboring to roll over, turning his back to them. He wanted Yami to just go away and leave him alone. He didn't even want Mokuba there. They already knew he was positively miserable… why did they think he'd want them to watch him suffer on top of that?

"I'll go ahead and watch him for now," he heard Mokuba whispering. Well, at least that ought to get rid of Yami…

But Yami didn't leave, even though he had no reason to be there. Instead, Seto felt the mattress shift and creak softly as the other man sat down on the edge of the bed behind him. "I'll stay too. At least until he's asleep."

Well, God damn it… who could sleep with the two of them yapping? Seto considered rolling back over to complain about that, but then a hand alighted on his back and began rubbing circles into it, working out some of the tightness in the sore muscles, and he couldn't quite bring himself to shrug it off.

Mokuba held his breath as Yami did his thing, watching silently as his brother's shoulders twitched, then began relaxing, his breaths evening out a little as he slipped into a light doze. While Seto seemed okay for the moment, drifting off into deeper sleep under Yami's guidance, Mokuba couldn't help but wonder what would happen the next time he was awakened. Would he flip out again? Would he become even more agitated, argumentative, combative? He had hoped that the hallucinations would've resolved themselves on their own since Seto's fever had lifted a bit, but… Seto only seemed to be getting worse.

Someone was going to get hurt at this rate…

* * *

Once Seto was sound asleep, Yami got up and left, abiding by his boyfriend's silent request to be left alone, or about as alone as they'd leave him under the circumstances. Moments after he walked out, Mokuba got up as well, hesitantly trailing Yami out the door. The ex-spirit had asked for an explanation for the prior incidents the day before, but Mokuba hadn't been in the mood to talk about them then. Not that he had thought Yami was clueless… it was pretty clear to anyone with a working brain that Seto and Gozaburo had had a very volatile and difficult relationship even without seeing Seto's reactions to his nightmares, but it just wasn't something that was supposed to be talked about. He had figured if Yami didn't already know the details, then Seto had chosen not to talk to him about it, and Mokuba had always tried to respect his brother's wishes. But with what had just happened, Mokuba was even more worried than before… and now he really felt like he owed it to Yami to tell him what he knew. 

Besides, on the off chance that they'd have to hospitalize him, or at least have to bring the hospital here, to him… Yami was the one that the doctors would turn to for information, being that he was the other adult in the household. So he needed to know exactly what he was dealing with. If Seto were to have one of his nightmares, assault a nurse or a doctor, and the resulting story got out because someone was looking to make a quick buck, it'd be disastrous.

It looked like Yami was thinking the same thing, because as soon as Mokuba reached the hallway, he found the former Pharaoh leaning up against the wall, waiting for him with purpose in his eyes.

"Noa needs to hear it too," Yami said without preamble.

Mokuba nodded. It made sense of course… not only was Noa just as confused and curious about Seto's outbursts, but he was also involved in Seto's care and needed to understand what he was dealing with. The "secret" had been kept between Seto and Mokuba for long enough… it was time to let the other two members of their family in on it, before someone got hurt. "I'll go get him."

Yami returned the nod and sat down on the floor to wait for Mokuba to return. He was glad the black-haired teen had finally gotten over his reluctance to talk. He had almost seemed relieved to see Yami in the hallway. Maybe he was glad that his brother's boyfriend cared enough to ask and wouldn't take no for an answer; maybe too, he needed to get it off his chest.

But, at the same time, Mokuba wasn't exactly eager to start once he and Noa joined Yami on the hallway floor outside Seto's room, the only spot where they could peek in to keep an eye on him but stay far away enough to converse without risk of waking him. Considering what the subject of the conversation was, Yami really couldn't blame Mokuba for his hesitation. He had to be anticipating the worst possible reaction, though Yami had faith enough in Noa's love for Mokuba that he'd listen instead of jumping straight into an argument.

But like his brother, Mokuba was a Kaiba too, and that meant he wasn't going to back down now that he had made up his mind. So after taking a deep breath, he finally began, his voice hushed as if he were afraid Seto might wake up and hear what he was saying. "That first freak out two days ago… to be honest, I'm not exactly sure which incident Nii-sama had been reliving there, if that says anything about how bad things were between him and Gozaburo. Even when he was little, Nii-sama never went down without a fight, so Gozaburo learned to turn the odds in his favor by hiring more and more goons. When the two of them got into an argument, usually over some project or other, Gozaburo liked having his goons force Nii-sama down on his knees, as if that made him the bigger man, as if that would put him in the right… Sometimes he'd slap him across the face or kick him, then he'd give him even more work and boot him out of his office."

Yami and Noa didn't say anything, as if they knew that was only the tip of the iceberg. So Mokuba went on. "The second incident, the one from the day before…" He paused, thinking of how Seto had thrashed so violently in his panic that he had to be held down on his bed… the black-haired teen remembered exactly what that was from. His lips tightened until he was nearly snarling as he started up again. "When Nii-sama was about 12, he got really sick. He had a high fever and was totally exhausted. But Gozaburo wouldn't let him stop working… maybe he had a deadline for a military contract or something, I don't know. Nii-sama tried his best, I know he did, but he was so tired that he was falling asleep in his chair. So Gozaburo had the chair taken away. But Seto started sleeping on the floor instead. So Gozaburo's solution was to have him stand, chained to the desk like a dog, so that he couldn't lie down. He told Nii-sama if he wanted to rest, he'd have to earn it by completing his assignment on time."

Hearing Noa shift uncomfortably and Yami's sharp intake of breath, Mokuba lowered his eyes and plunged ahead, wanting to get the whole thing out before he lost momentum. "But Gozaburo made the mistake of dropping in himself to check on Seto's progress. Nii-sama turned on him as soon as he got close enough and somehow scratched Gozaburo across the cheek… I think he used the sharp end of a compass to do it. I bet he could have done some real damage if the chain he was on wasn't so short… and Gozaburo knew it. He was so pissed, he stormed out of the room and came back with that damned riding crop… He beat Nii-sama so hard that there was blood soaking the entire back of his shirt, and Nii-sama was screaming… When he was finally done, he told Nii-sama that he still expected him to finish his work on time. If he didn't make the deadline, I'd get the same sort of beating…"

Noa practically jumped out of his skin at that. "He didn't touch you, did he?!"

"No. Seto met the deadline, but he passed out shortly afterwards and remained out of commission for over a week..." Mokuba trailed off uncertainly.

Noa shook his head in disgust. He couldn't believe this was HIS father they were talking about; why, his father had never once raised a hand to him! Sure, things weren't so peachy between his father and mother – and he had witnessed enough arguments to know that his father had pushed, slapped and screamed at his mother regularly – but he had never imagined that he could have been _that_ brutal. Besides, part of him couldn't help but wonder if Seto had been responsible for instigating most of the fights by provoking Gozaburo, though before he could actually voice that, something else occurred to him. "Did… wait a sec, so you saw all of that?!"

Mokuba looked down at his hands, trying to force down the tears welling up in his eyes, bitterly fighting against the rage and sorrow that accompanied them. "Gozaburo never paid any attention to me. I guess I'm supposed to be grateful for that. So he didn't care if I followed Seto around or whatever, as long as I didn't distract him. I was in there that day because I knew Nii-sama was sick, and I wanted him to eat. He got mad when he saw me and told me to leave him alone. But I wouldn't leave… I just wanted him to finish his lunch. And then Gozaburo came in…" He swallowed hard. "I remember putting my hands over my ears, trying to block out the sound of Nii-sama being beaten. It didn't work. It never had. But… I didn't know what else to do."

Noa wrapped an arm around Mokuba's shoulders and pulled him close, burying his face in his boyfriend's hair as Mokuba's tears soaked into his shirt. He understood how Mokuba must've felt. After all, he had been in the same boat whenever his parents had fought in front of him, and the only thing he'd been able to do was to try and ignore the sound of his mother crying, pretending everything was okay when it really wasn't. He had felt so helpless, standing there and having to force any sounds of protest down… Mokuba must've felt that way too.

Across from the two teens, Yami silently watched as Noa comforted Mokuba. He felt a twinge of guilt for not thinking of opening his arms to Mokuba earlier, but he'd been so deep in thought over the youngest Kaiba's revelations that it hadn't occurred to him until after Noa had begun consoling Mokuba. But at least Mokuba seemed okay for now, if a little spent, and Seto hadn't stirred at all…

Yami sighed. Part of him wasn't been surprised at all by what Mokuba had told them – he had always known that Gozaburo had been hard on Seto, that he had been abusive – but the rest of him was still reeling from the stark, painful reality of what had happened. He couldn't help but imagine a much younger Seto struggling to stay conscious to complete his assignment, swaying on his feet as blood trickled down his back, reminding him of the price Mokuba would pay if he failed. Was this why Seto always pushed himself so hard at work, because the consequences had been branded into him? Because failure hadn't been an option?

Then it dawned on Yami that he'd never seen any scars on Mokuba, at least, nothing beyond the types of minor scratches that most little boys and teens seemed to accumulate. In contrast, Seto's back bore an assortment of welts and raised scars, some so faint that they could only be felt, not seen, and some still noticeably prominent despite the passage of years. How many of those resulted from a missed deadline? How many more came about because of a verbal altercation, or as retribution for something as simple as a snide comment? How many of those had Seto "earned" in Mokuba's stead?

And too, Yami found himself marveling at the level of trust Seto had shown in him… or had he mistaken shame for trust? Seto had never protested at his lover wanting to tie him up or chain him down, had never said no to being playfully paddled or whipped or slapped, had seemed to enjoy the rough and tumble of their sex life… hell, he had even bought Yami a collar! If he had felt any fear or hesitation, he certainly had hidden it well, well enough that it had been easy for Yami to avoid thinking about the scars on his back, and what had put them there. Not that Yami would've asked anyway, since Seto hadn't broached the subject first. After all, he couldn't even remember his own past; what right did he have to go poking around in Seto's?

Perhaps he had done a disservice by turning a blind eye to what was right in front of him. And maybe he'd been doing it for so long that it had become ingrained in both of them to simply pretend that Seto's past didn't matter anymore. But it was a part of who Seto was, no matter how much they wanted to deny it.

So maybe it wasn't a lack of trust that had Seto keeping Yami at bay in his mind, but rather… he didn't want a reminder of all the things that had gone wrong. He was afraid that if Yami saw the hell he'd been through, that he'd pity him. And he didn't want to be pitied because it couldn't change anything, couldn't improve anything… did nothing except to delegate him to the role of victim once again, reminding him that he had once been nearly powerless, unable to do anything but survive, and just barely…

He was wrong, anyway. If anything, Yami was proud that Seto had had the strength to persevere through everything life had hurled at him. How many people could have overcome so many hurdles to become so wildly successful at such a young age? And he had always known that Seto's need for control was more than just pride or ego… it was a desire born from his need to protect Mokuba. That was the one thing that had always mattered more than anything…

_Mokuba…_ Yami had his answer, then. Of course Seto trusted him; he had even gone as far as sharing his guardianship of Mokuba and Noa with Yami. He could not possibly believe in him more than that.

But the two of them had wanted so much to move beyond who they used to be that they had each neglected or discarded their pasts, as if turning their backs on them would render them impotent. As if they'd simply vanish, like morning mist under the heat of the sun. And now it was coming back to bite them, nipping at their heels like a pack of starved wolves.

Yami wasn't crazy enough to think that there'd be a magic fix. They had some old habits to break, and Seto was too sick to be involved in a heart-to-heart at the moment anyhow. But once his condition improved, Yami would make his move and let Seto know that he wanted to be let in, that they both needed it… that it wasn't a bad thing to let someone help him shoulder his load. That the road to the future was never meant to be a solitary journey, the path being wide enough for more than one traveler… After all, they were kindred spirits. They could only reach their future, together.

* * *

It took several minutes before Noa was satisfied that Mokuba had sufficiently pulled himself back together, and even then, he was reluctant to let his boyfriend out of his embrace. But as soon as he did, the younger teen stood up with a nod of thanks, then immediately returned to Seto's side to finish off the rest of Yami's "shift," partially because he was worried Seto would have another episode, and partially because… well, it just made him feel better. 

Noa would've followed, wanting to do nothing more than give Mokuba his support, but… he had a huge list of things that had to be finished by the end of the day thanks to the continued failure of the programming team to catch their own coding errors. Just sitting there contemplating skipping out on work was wasting time, and there were so many deadlines… it made his head spin. And he really wanted to do a good job on the project – the game was already being touted as the next great MMORPG – having enough pride in himself and his family to want to make it something that would exceed all expectations. He knew Mokuba would understand, and would be proud of him for his dedication too. Maybe Seto would feel the same way if he saw how Noa was handling the situation in his absence, but that would only happen if he could hit the deadlines…

Yami watched as the green-haired teen finally made up his mind and headed back to Seto's office. Having been temporarily relieved of his caretaking duties, the ex-spirit ended up following Noa to the study down the hall, intending to take a look at Seto's calendar to see if there were any projects he could take on himself. It was the least he could do under the circumstances, plus he needed something to keep himself busy or else he'd just end up running back to Seto's room, and he figured Mokuba needed some time alone with Seto, to settle himself.

Since Mokuba already had pulled up the schedule on his screen, Yami went ahead and used that laptop, scrolling through the endless list of tasks, wondering just how in over his head he was getting himself. There were all sorts of meetings and financial stuff and computer stuff, none of which were the kinds of things that he'd be qualified to handle; Mokuba and Noa would have to split those tasks amongst themselves or figure out who else in the company ought to take responsibility for them. He supposed he could work on anything that actually involved dueling… except there were no tournaments planned, and he didn't really know how images on paper cards got turned into holograms, and the research for the proposed dueling academy was still in its infancy…

There had to be _something_ that he was qualified to do. After all, he was smart, a fast learner, and had a real desire to help out any way he could. And he knew that he could count on Mokuba and Noa to back him up if he really got stuck. But his intent was to try and find something he'd felt comfortable with handling because he knew if he overextended himself and had to rely on the teens to bail him out, he'd end up pulling them away from their work, which wouldn't help matters.

With a sigh, Yami settled back against the seat. And then his eyes fell on some papers that were haphazardly stacked on the corner of the desk. He stretched an arm out and snagged a few sheets, studying them with growing interest. Proposed graphics for the packaging of the new computer game Noa had been recoding… that was something he figured he could handle. Though he didn't know much about marketing, he though he had a good eye for design and layout, having done things like directing magazine cover shoots and approving content before, and he knew what sorts of things appealed to the target market of gamers…

"Are either of you working on this yet?" Yami asked Noa. He didn't want to step in if the two teens were already working on that particular project.

Noa looked up from his computer to glance at the papers Yami was waving at him, not recognizing them. "What is it?"

"Looks like sample graphics or something for the packaging of that role playing game you're working on. I spotted it on top of the pile over in the corner."

"Ah, we haven't gotten to it any of that yet… Why?"

"Maybe I can work on it then. What do you think?"

Noa shrugged. He was handling the technological side of things; that was his specialty and his interest. He didn't really have an opinion on what went on the outside of the box or the DVD sleeves or whatnot. "Just let Mokuba know. He's the one keeping track of everything," he told Yami, then he considered the situation more carefully. "If… well, the things in that pile are random paperwork that we haven't sorted through yet. If there's anything else you want to grab… I mean, we're doing okay, but," and he shrugged again, "I just don't want Mokuba to overwork himself, you know?"

Yami nodded in understanding, then gathered up the rest of the stack. He was sure that there'd be a few other things he could winnow from the pile. Hopefully, it'd be enough to make a noticeable difference.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Yami pushed aside the papers he'd been pouring over and suggested to Noa that they take a break. He was still a bit anxious about Seto's condition, and knew that Noa was probably still concerned about Mokuba as well. And a glance at the clock told him that it was almost time to wake Seto again to get more fluids into him, to keep him hydrated. 

Noa almost declined… he realized now that he had overextended himself with the amount of work that needed to be done. But there were things more important than work and deadlines; in his mind, he could still see Mokuba's mournful face, and the panic stricken look on Seto's as well from the day before...

He knew he wouldn't be able to concentrate with those stuck in his head.

Giving in to the inevitable, Noa finally grunted in agreement with Yami's suggestion, then stood up and followed the former Pharaoh out of the study and back down the hallway to Seto's bedroom, where Mokuba was in the middle of trying to wake his brother. Not wanting to startle the brunette awake, Mokuba had been gently squeezing Seto's hand and whispering his name, but he hadn't had any luck with that approach so far.

Noa bent down a little, wrapping his arms around Mokuba's shoulders, to give him a bit of support and encouragement. "Do we really need to wake him?" he asked softly, watching as Seto's fingers twitched spasmodically in response to Mokuba's pleas, though he still didn't awaken. Noa really felt bad for the elder Kaiba… Seto's skin looked waxy from all the sweat, and even though he'd been sleeping a lot lately, he had dark hollows under his eyes. "He must be really wiped out."

Seated on the other side of the bed, Yami leaned over to trail two fingers along Seto's cheekbone, noting the lack of elasticity in his skin, though at least he felt a bit cooler than he had the last few days. "I'm afraid so. I'd rather let him rest, but this is the only way to keep him out of the hospital." His hand drifted down to Seto's right shoulder, which he grasped and shook a little. "Come on Baby, wake up," he coaxed.

Seto made a soft sound of inquiry and finally opened his eyes, much to everyone's relief. He took a shaky breath and looked at the faces around him, his gaze still rather unfocused… and then, those blue eyes zeroed in on the figure standing behind Mokuba…

_Noa. Gozaburo's brat._ He had kidnapped Mokuba, brainwashed him, turned him against Seto… all because he wanted revenge against Seto for "stealing" Gozaburo's attention away from him, for "stealing" away his inheritance of Kaiba Corp., even though he had died before Seto had even entered the picture. Dead, but still jealous, like a spoiled brat. He had stolen Mokuba away, using him as a pawn, just to hurt Seto. Was he trying it again? Seto had thought they had escaped the virtual world… he remembered running alongside Yugi and Mokuba, trying to make it back to the ship before the entire virtual world was destroyed…

Maybe that had been another one of Noa's tricks. Maybe they hadn't made it out at all and were caught like mice instead, circling an endless loop, and now Noa was trying to poison Mokuba's mind again with his lies… Why else would he be holding Mokuba like that, restraining him? He had no right to touch even a hair on his head!

_How dare he! No one comes between me and my brother! Mokuba is MINE! _

With some effort, Seto pushed himself up into a sitting position, breathing heavily, ignoring Yami's insistence that he relax and lie back down. He was now glaring at Noa, who just blinked back at him in surprise. Why was Seto staring at him like that? "Se…"

Without warning, the young CEO's left hand suddenly shot out, snagging Noa by the collar with enough force to rock the teen back on his heels. Shocked, Noa took a step back as if that would be enough to allow him to break free, but Seto only tightened his grip in response. Then, as if fearing that Noa would be successful in getting away from him, Seto followed up with his free hand, locking it directly around Noa's neck as he somehow lurched to his feet, nearly falling across Mokuba's lap in his haste to get at Noa.

Horrified, Mokuba couldn't even get enough air in his lungs to scream at his brother. His first instinct was to jump to his feet to try and physically break Seto's hold even as his mind raced to catch up and make sense of what exactly was going on.

"I won't let you take him from me, Noa!" Seto seethed, his face red and his voice dripping with venom as he resettled his left hand on Mokuba's shoulder to push him away while still trying to throttle Noa with his right. "Do you hear me?! He's MY brother!"

Frightened, Noa kept trying to pull away, but Seto was squeezing so hard, he couldn't even draw breath. He was already starting to feel a bit lightheaded, his pulse thudding hollowly in his ears, his vision graying at the edges. Desperately, he clawed at Seto's hand and wrist, but like a pit bull, his brother refused to let up at all.

Meanwhile, Yami had swiftly moved in to lock his arms around his boyfriend's waist and was pulling back with all his strength, but to no avail. "Seto! Seto, stop it!" he hollered, but Seto's only response was to try and twist out of his hold.

"Nii-sama, stop it!!" Mokuba's pleas joined Yami's as the pair struggled to be heard by the enraged brunette. But Seto didn't even seem to notice them yelling, so completely fixated was he on attacking Noa. He just kept trying to push Mokuba out from between them, his fingers digging painfully into Mokuba's shoulder, but the youngest Kaiba refused to budge, planting his feet, trying futilely to shield Noa with his body. "NII-SAMA!"

"I'll save you, Mokuba, I swear," Seto growled feverishly. "I won't let anyone tear us apart!"

Mokuba understood now. God, Seto had to be thinking that they were back in the virtual world… but they weren't. No wonder he was trying so hard to get at Noa. But the more Mokuba tried to keep them apart, the harder Seto fought, thinking that Mokuba wasn't in control of his actions, that he didn't know what he was doing. But Mokuba couldn't just step away either… what could he do? He couldn't stand the thought of either of them getting hurt.

In desperation, he looked around for something, anything… he wasn't even sure what he was looking for. His eyes met Yami's. The ex-spirit looked so grim, his muscles taut as he tried to hold Seto back, but it just wasn't enough. He didn't have the physical strength that Seto had, and with all the adrenaline pumping through Seto's body, it would take a miracle to stop him.

There was no other option. Noa was beginning to shake in Seto's chokehold, wheezing loudly as he tried to get air into his oxygen-deprived lungs. Yami had sworn he'd never use his Shadow Magic on Seto again, but there was no choice…

Seto's entire body suddenly stiffened, as if he'd been shot, and then just as quickly, he went totally limp, losing consciousness, his upper torso slumping forward into Mokuba's arms, his knees buckling. Even then, he still refused to let go of Noa, though his grip had loosened enough that Noa was able to extract himself with a good tug.

The green-haired teen took a few steps back, clutching at his throat, needing to put some space between himself and Seto before collapsing to the ground in relief, greedily gulping mouthfuls of air. He was scared shitless. Seto had attacked him before; he had thought things would never be that bad between them again, but maybe he had been wrong. Maybe that was how Seto really felt about him, that he'd never trust him, ever.

Hurt, Noa looked over at Mokuba, who was still cradling his big brother in his arms, but the gray-eyed teen didn't look in Noa's direction, didn't even ask him if he was okay… Instead, his attention was completely focused on Yami, and he looked really, _really_ pissed.

"What the _fuck_ did you do to him?!" Mokuba snarled. He had seen the glow on Yami's forehead and the faint wisps of shadows coloring the air right before Seto had passed out, and knew exactly what that meant. "How could you?!!"

"I'm sorry, but I didn't have a choice," Yami replied, his voice fairly calm but his hands still shaking from what had happened.

"Bullshit! How could you do this to him?!!"

Yami shut his eyes for a moment. He didn't blame Mokuba for being angry… he was more than willing to accept responsibility for what he had done, but he was comforted at least by the knowledge that he had done the right thing, for the right reason. Noa's life had been in danger, and nothing they had tried had worked. Yami knew that Seto would understand, and approve of what he had done. "If Seto was aware of what he was doing… he would have expected me to stop him by any means necessary. And I tried to be as gentle as possible. He hasn't been harmed. He's just out for a little while."

"You call this unharmed!?" Mokuba screeched, clutching his brother even more tightly. Seto didn't even twitch. God, what if Yami had knocked him into another coma? "I HATE YOU!!! Get out!!"

"Moku…"

"GET OUT!!"

"… No."

Mokuba's eyes flashed dangerously, like storm clouds illuminated by a flash of lightning. Carefully settling Seto back down on the bed, he stood up and approached Yami, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him. "I swear to God, I'm never going to forgive you for this…!"

Noa had had enough. Yami had stuck up for him, had done what needed to be done despite how abhorrent it had to have been for him… Noa was going to return the favor. Struggling to his feet, he forced his way between Mokuba and Yami, holding him arm out, yelling hoarsely, "Mokuba, don't. It's not his fault!"

"Shut up! I don't want to hear it!" Mokuba screamed into his face.

"What did you expect him to do? Seto was going to kill me!"

Mokuba shook his head vigorously, sending his long hair flying. "He was not! He wouldn't have…!"

"HE WAS FUCKING TRYING TO KILL ME!" Noa grabbed Mokuba's chin and turned his boyfriend's head roughly towards him. "Look at me! Look at my neck. What do you think he was trying to do?! I didn't even do anything and he attacked me, and you don't even give a shit!?"

Mokuba jerked his head away, but at least he had released Yami. "Of course I give a shit! Don't you think I tried to stop him?"

"It wasn't enough," Noa said bitterly. "Yami did what he had to. Don't get all pissy with him when Seto brought this upon himself."

"Seto didn't ask to be sick. He didn't ask to be treated like this by someone who claims to love him," Mokuba bitched, turning to glare at Yami again.

"Don't say that. I know you're angry, but don't say I don't love him. You know I do," Yami said in a low voice, but seeing how angry Mokuba was still, he decided that the wise thing to do was to do as the teen had asked and back off, giving him the chance to cool down a bit. If he hung around, Mokuba would stay upset, and that wasn't going to do any of them any good. Exhaling in frustration, he turned to Noa and murmured, "I'll be outside if you need me."

"Good! And stay out!" Mokuba said nastily.

Noa watched as Yami turned to leave, then told Mokuba, "I can't believe you're acting like this. I thought… don't we matter to you at all? Don't I matter?"

Mokuba ignored his boyfriend's entreaties and turned back to Seto, who was laying like a sack of potatoes on the mattress, completely oblivious to all the yelling. There was no way he was just sleeping. Seto was normally a light sleeper. Even sick, it didn't take _that_ much to wake him. So why wasn't he moving or grumbling or anything at all?

The last time Mokuba had seen Seto completely unresponsive, it had been Yami's doing, at Death-T. He had shattered Seto's heart, putting him into a coma for months. The doctors hadn't been optimistic about Seto's recovery since they couldn't even begin to comprehend what had happened. So Mokuba had drifted between cautious hope and despair the whole time, terrified that his brother would never regain consciousness again. Yami had never apologized to Seto for it as far as Mokuba knew, and if he wasn't sorry that he had done that to Seto, he certainly wasn't going to bother apologizing to Mokuba, who had been left to carry the burden his brother had left behind.

But Yami wasn't the first person to have hurt Seto like that. At least Yami could try and mitigate what he had done by pointing to Sugoroku, to Yugi, to all his friends. Gozaburo didn't even have that sort of obvious excuse. He had kept Seto overworked, sleep deprived, and beaten down simply because he could. And all Mokuba could do was watch, scampering in to offer what comfort he could before Seto was assigned yet another task.

"Nii-sama, I won't let anyone hurt you again," Mokuba breathed as he tried to arrange his brother's body into a more comfortable position, plumping the pillow under his head and pulling up the rumpled blankets from the foot of the bed. Mokuba meant that though… if no one else cared enough to take care of Seto and treat him right, then he'd do it all himself. After all, it had been just the two of them before…

Behind him, Noa shifted a little nervously on his feet, swallowing hard at the way Mokuba had callously dismissed him. Mokuba wasn't even willing to look at him now. He didn't care, even after what had happened. He had taken Seto's side. Feeling his heart clench, Noa looked away and saw Yami standing silently in the doorframe, sympathy softening the crimson of his eyes.

He didn't want to be pitied. But he'd rather deal with that than endure Mokuba's disregard. "Wait up Yami, I'll come with you," he managed to say, his voice cracking as he fought down the urge to scream, cry, something, anything… But there was no point in that. Mokuba was deaf to anything that didn't have to do with Seto.

By the time Noa left the room, Mokuba still hadn't verbally acknowledged any of what Noa had said. And he refused to even look at Yami once the former Pharaoh had turned to leave. But despite what Noa thought, Mokuba had heard every word. They just hadn't begun sinking in until Yami and Noa had shut the door, leaving behind nothing but silence to buffer the pain and hurt accompanying each of their utterances.

... And Mokuba finally realized how badly he had overreacted.

But there just wasn't anything he could do about any of it at the moment, not until he was absolutely sure Seto was okay. So he sat on the edge of the bed with his back hunched, holding Seto's hand, crying silent tears that dripped off his chin and landed on the sheets below.

* * *

TBC 

Author's Notes:  
- There's a doujinshi by Rapan called "The Duelist Made in Japan" that starts off with a scene rather reminiscent of the one I wrote, with Gozaburo taking a riding crop to Seto's back (he certainly didn't carry that thing for fun) and Seto subsequently wandering around with blood soaking through his shirt. While I certainly didn't copy the scene (Gozaburo with a riding crop and keeping Seto in a collar is canon BTW), I'd say seeing that dj did help me to visualize what I wanted to do here since I couldn't decide how to work my scene originally.  
- I went with the theory that Mokuba must've seen a lot of what happened to Seto, because from all indications, Gozaburo pretty much ignored Mokuba. So as long as he didn't get in the way or distract Seto from his work, I imagine he could get away with sneaking in to visit Seto, meaning he'd have inadvertently witnessed a number of fights between Seto and Gozaburo.  
- Re: this line - "it was almost time to wake Seto again to get more fluids into him, to keep him hydrated." I know, I'm horrible, but... I had to add the comment about keeping him hydrated, only because when I thought about Yami getting fluids into Seto... I could only think of perverse things : p  
- Like it? Love it? Hate it? Please review : )


	5. Ch 5: We Stand Alone

Disclaimer: Virus Buster Serge is the creation of Masami Obari. Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**The Cost of Doing Business**

**Ch. 5: We Stand Alone**

* * *

Mokuba was exhausted. Only an hour had passed since the… _incident,_ but it might as well have been a whole year. It was hard on the teen to have to lie there helplessly beside Seto's unresponsive body while his mind wandered unbidden back to the time when he was 10, when he had maintained a similar, painful vigil over his brother…

He wished Noa would poke his head in, or even Yami… anything that would remind him that this time, things were different. That he and Seto weren't alone and wouldn't be abandoned, despite what had happened. That maybe they understood that he hadn't meant the things he had said, that he'd just been scared and upset… but he supposed he couldn't blame them for not wanting to come back in after he had blown up at them the way he did. He really did feel bad about it though…

The slight click of the doorknob turning made him raise his head, cocking it towards the sound. The door swung open and Yami stepped into the room, his expression carefully neutral as he turned to face the bed.

Either he wanted to apologize, or he was a glutton for punishment and was expecting Mokuba to apologize first. Well, he was out of luck if he though Mokuba would just blurt out "I'm sorry." Because as soon as the teen saw him, he felt his anger picking up again. Yami really had some nerve if he thought he could treat Seto the way he had and then just come waltzing back in… did he think for even a second that Mokuba had forgotten what he had done? Did he think he'd be so easily forgiven?

Intent on holding his ground, Mokuba sat up from where he had been lying by Seto's side, and defiantly glared at the crimson-eyed man as he approached. Yami may have been older, may have held sway over ancient magics that Mokuba couldn't even begin to fathom… but Mokuba was now taller, stronger, and far more determined to protect Seto no matter the cost. There was no way he was going to back down and let Yami have his way!

But Yami didn't seem to be looking for a confrontation. He seemed a bit worn out. He didn't even try to touch Seto, though his gaze lingered on his lover for a long moment. Instead, he veered off towards the nightstand, reaching down to pick up a sheet of paper lying crumpled under a pack of pills.

Mokuba couldn't hold back any longer. "Now what are you up to?" he asked suspiciously.

Yami didn't immediately respond. He had shaken out the instruction sheet and was scanning it rapidly. Finally, he lowered the paper and picked up the pills, grimacing at them. "Delirium," he grumbled, his voice low.

That caught Mokuba off guard. "Wh… what?"

"It's one of the side effects listed. I was reading up on pneumonia online… I wonder if possibly…" He considered how long Seto had been on the oseltamivir. Four days already; he only had two more doses to go. Yami shook his head slightly. That was two doses too many in his opinion, if Seto indeed had been adversely affected by the medication or by a combination of fever and medication. And it wasn't like the pills were some sort of magic cure… from what the doctor had said, all they could do was stop the virus from spreading further, meaning at best, a 10 percent improvement in recovery time.

It wasn't worth it, considering the risks. Mind made up, Yami gripped the blister pack tightly as he headed towards the bathroom on the other side of the room. Mokuba heard the sound of foil being torn, then the toilet being flushed, and Yami came back sans pills.

Unsure of what to say, considering Yami had just dumped Seto's medication without even consulting him first, Mokuba stared silently at the ex-spirit, who had stopped several feet away from the bed. Yami held his gaze for a moment, then diverted his attention to Seto's still body yet again. He felt a little relief as he studied the gentle rise and fall of his boyfriend's chest… though Seto was still unconscious, he was at least physically stable. Whether his mind was finally settling down was another matter though; they'd have to wait for him to wake up to know for certain if he had improved in that regard.

As if tracking Yami's thoughts, Mokuba shifted himself until he was blocking Yami's view of his brother. "So when's he going to wake up?" he asked a bit nastily. "This isn't right… he's out cold."

Something flickered in those crimson eyes. Hurt maybe, or guilt? "Honestly, I don't know." He exhaled slowly. "I… didn't want to do it, you know. I didn't have a choi…"

Mokuba snarled softly, ignoring the excuses. "You know that if I can't wake him, he might end up at the hospital because of dehydration, or worse."

Yami nodded slowly. Yes, he was aware of that. Then again, if he hadn't done anything, Noa could have ended up in the hospital instead, and for what? For being the wrong person in the wrong place at the wrong time?

But now was not the time to bring that up. Clearly, Mokuba was focused on one thing and one thing only: Seto's recovery. His patching things up with Noa would unfortunately have to wait until later.

Finally, after a nearly unbearable stretch of silence, Yami said, "I have faith in him to pull through this."

"When? Tomorrow? In a week, maybe two? You've already admitted, you don't even know."

Yami sighed softly. "I'm worried too, but… I guess he needs the rest, needs to settle himself… Once he's ready, he will awaken." It wasn't the answer Mokuba was looking for, but it was the best Yami could give him.

Mokuba simply grunted. Yami wasn't making him feel much better. What if Seto didn't wake up for days? Or for weeks, or months? A whole year? Mokuba couldn't bear the idea of sitting by his side for an endless stretch of time, waiting, hoping for some sign of consciousness… not again.

"I promise, he'll be okay," Yami breathed.

Mokuba looked up in surprise as a hand alighted on his head. He hadn't realized the crimson-eyed man had stepped within arm's reach. But he didn't want to be treated like some ignorant kid, getting a pat on the head and pretty lies in his ear…

The black-haired teen shook the hand off, ignoring Yami's sound of disappointment. He wasn't ready to forgive him. Hell, he didn't even want to be talking to Yami if all he was going to do was make vague promises. He just wanted Seto to be okay. And until he was, there was nothing more to talk about.

* * *

Frustrated with his continued inability to concentrate, Noa banged his fingers down onto his keyboard, accidentally deleting the changes he had just made on a page of code. He groaned, more from annoyance than anything else… it wasn't like the edits he had made were any good. He was beginning to feel as inept as the programmers who were relying on him to clean up their mess. Already, a whole hour had been wasted on that single page of code. But… there were so many things on his mind, and the room was just too damn quiet…

At least Yami had kept him company earlier, though neither one of them spoke about what had happened. Yami probably would have brought it up, but Noa hadn't been in the mood for conversation. Not that that had stopped Yami from fixing his sympathetic gaze on the teen's back…

The door cracked open, and Noa couldn't help but look up to watch as Yami crept back into the office. The ex-spirit's face was grim. Noa knew better than to ask if Seto was still out for the count – it was obvious he was still sleeping off whatever Yami had done to him. But Noa was curious about Mokuba… Was he beginning to regret lashing at out his and Seto's respective boyfriends? Or was he still angry? Was he crying and wanting to see Noa? Or had he not even asked about him?

Seeing the unasked questions in Noa's blue eyes, Yami went ahead and told him, "I dumped the pills. Seto seems okay for now, but he's still unconscious. Mokuba… Mokuba wasn't happy to see me..."

Noa's lips parted in slow exhalation. He had to know… "Did he… say anything about me?" he rasped. Damn, he had hoped that things would've improved at least a little bit, but apparently they hadn't.

As tempted as he was to lie, Yami could only offer the truth. He shook his head slightly as he approached the teen. "He's so worried about Seto. And he's scared. I guess I can't blame him, considering…"

Disappointed, Noa looked away, then he felt Yami's arm wrap itself around his shoulder. He shut his eyes, suddenly feeling unreasonably angry. "And he kicked you out, right?" He felt Yami shrug against his arm. "Don't bother feeling sorry for me, I don't need it."

Yami didn't let go. Instead, he began leaning against Noa a bit, resting his forehead on the younger Kaiba's shoulder, sighing. "I'm not doing this because I feel sorry for you. I'm here because I understand, and I care… I worry about you and Mokuba just as much as I worry about Seto."

_Yeah, right. _"And if Mokuba wasn't with Seto? You'd be there instead. You wouldn't be wasting time here, with me."

"Don't say that. This isn't a waste of time. Would it make me feel better to be with Seto? I won't lie; of course it would, because he's my lover and he's sick and he needs someone to watch over him, especially right now. And it worries me too, not knowing when he'll wake up, or… if he'll really be any better. I can only hope. But right now… even if I were there, sitting with him… that wouldn't help with either of those things. But you, on the other hand…" Yami's fingers touched down on the side of Noa's neck. There was already evidence of a bruise forming… the skin looked pink and swollen, but given the nature of Seto's attack, it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. "How do you feel?"

Noa froze momentarily, then mumbled, "I'll live."

"I don't doubt that. But how do you feel? Are you sure you don't want an ice pack?"

"… Why bother?"

"It might help with the bru…"

Noa snorted. "No, I mean, why do you care? Mokuba doesn't. And Seto wants me dead."

Yami nearly blurted out, "He doesn't want you dead," but given the fact that the brunette had been vigorously trying to strangle the teen only a short time ago, he couldn't say that Noa's assumption wasn't true. Clearly, something had compelled Seto to react that way, something more than just confusion.

He thought about the blind rage that had driven Seto's attack, and the things he had said…

_"I won't let you take him from me. I'll save you, Mokuba, I swear."_

Save him? From Noa?

Had Seto been thinking about the events from a couple months earlier, when he had found out about the change in Noa and Mokuba's relationship from being stepsiblings to being boyfriends? He had thought Noa and Seto had settled things between them… they had both apologized to each other, and Seto had promised to not lay a hand on him again after having attempted to throttle him that time…

But now that he thought about it, he realized that Seto's frightening reaction during that incident had stemmed from a much earlier occurrence. Four years ago, they had all been trapped in the virtual world that had been Noa's home. Noa had taken great pains to make the stay hellish for everyone, but had been cruelest towards Seto, whom he blamed for stealing away his father's attention despite the fact that Seto hadn't even known about Noa's existence. The blame really should've been placed on Gozaburo, but because Noa couldn't bring himself to face the truth, he had turned his rage and confusion on Seto instead. In a bid for revenge, he had hit Seto where it hurt most, stealing away Mokuba, brainwashing him, and turning him against his big brother, then turning them both to stone when Seto finally freed Mokuba from the spell he was under.

Yami had been outraged by Noa's actions at the time. But he knew his outrage had to have paled in comparison to the nightmare that Seto had been going through. No wonder it still haunted him. No wonder he and Noa had gotten into that fight a little over two months ago.

… It was like history was repeating itself. They couldn't keep going on like this.

Yami tried to think of what had happened when the two had finally sat down in Seto's office to resolve things after Seto's previous attempt to strangle Noa. It had gone more like a business meeting than a family discussion, now that Yami stopped to think about it. Negotiations with terms and conditions… finally ending with a gentleman's agreement. So maybe… they hadn't really forgiven each other. Maybe they had made up because they both loved Mokuba first and foremost, not because they had been ready to put aside their differences and truly accept one another. After all, Seto still hadn't decided to entrust Noa with responsibilities at Kaiba Corp., which definitely said _something_ about his perspective on the matter. Yami wondered if Noa had noticed that as well…

"Are you still mad at Seto?" the ex-spirit asked suddenly.

The green-haired teen blinked in surprise at the query, but then raised a hand to gingerly probe at his battered throat. "What do you think?"

Yami shook his head, realizing how badly he had phrased the question. "I didn't mean… Sorry. I was referring to what happened two months ago," he muttered.

Noa gave a Yami a weird look. _What the hell? _"Uh… He apologized, and so did I."

"But maybe he didn't do it for the right reasons. Maybe he did it because that's what Mokuba wanted. Not to say that he wasn't sorry, because I know he realized that he had overreacted, and badly, but I don't think… he really considered his own feelings on the matter."

"Why are you bringing this up now? Are you trying to say he's still mad about me dating Mokuba?"

"No. But I'm not sure if he ever really forgave you for what happened back in the virtual world either."

Noa snorted dismissively at that, though truth be told, he wasn't sure of how he ought to respond. The time he had spent in the virtual world wasn't exactly something he thought fondly of either.

"You tore apart his bond with Mokuba… that isn't something that he canjust push aside and forget, even with the passage of years," Yami continued on to say. "That latent fear fueled his latest hallucination. He thought he was back in the virtual world, and was fighting to win Mokuba back with everything he had. If the two of you really had resolved your differences, it wouldn't have happened."

"So… you're saying it's all my fault, and he's always going to hate me, he just hasn't tried killing me more often because he was able to restrain himself before," Noa commented flatly. "And Mokuba would rather stay by his side even after that, and you're the only one who cares if I live at all."

"No, because this isn't something that can be fixed by one 'side' or the other. Both of you have to want to resolve things in order for that to happen. Look, Seto may hate what you've done, but I know he doesn't hate you as a person either. He just hasn't really given himself the chance to consider how he feels about you, apart from Mokuba's feelings I mean."

"Well, I said I was sorry…" Noa muttered stubbornly.

"But you didn't apologize for the things you did in the virtual world," Yami sternly pointed out. "You never have."

Noa lowered his gaze and gave a small shrug again. "I apologized for… picking a fight with him. For hurting Mokuba's feelings that way," he mumbled, thinking back to what he had said that day. It wasn't like Seto had asked for anything more, and Noa had been willing to concede only as much as required… He had his pride too, or had everyone forgotten that?

"Are you even sorry about what you did in the virtual world? Yes or no?"

The green-haired teen swallowed hard, but his heart was lodged in his throat. It sounded like Yami was implying that he too would never forgive Noa for what he had done back then. If that was true, then he had lost the only support he had left in the world… It was a terrifying realization. He'd rather die than be alone again… "You're still mad about what I did to you and Yugi and the others, aren't you? I never said I was sorry to you, either," Noa blurted out anxiously, his voice trembling despite the efforts he made to keep it steady.

Yami gave the question careful consideration before answering. "Back when we were looking for the exit out of the virtual world, Yugi told me he believed in you. So I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. And then you betrayed us, again..."

"I almost didn't go through with my plan," Noa whispered. "I thought Mokuba was confused, because he still seemed to like me. I felt a little guilty for what I had done to him. But… I was scared. I didn't want to be alone. I didn't want to die, not again."

"I know. I… we've got that in common, don't we?" Yami sighed ruefully. "Yugi was right, anyways. You came through in the end. You got us all out of there and then returned Mokuba's body to him, knowing that it was a death sentence for you. So no, I don't hold what happened in there against you anymore. How can I, when you made the ultimate sacrifice for us?"

Noa's face crumpled slightly, his eyes misting over. He looked so vulnerable, like someone who didn't have a friend in the world. He reminded Yami so much of Seto when he was younger, when it was just him and Mokuba against the world, except Noa didn't even have Mokuba at the moment… It was heartbreaking.

Yami gently pulled the teen into his arms, smoothing down his hair, whispering reassurances… and Noa just broke.

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry," Noa choked. Like Seto, he wasn't one to give in to the urge to cry, but Yami could hear his tears in his voice. "I don't want you to be mad. I don't want you to hate me. I'm so sorry about what I did…"

"It's all right. It'll be okay. I knew, even before you said anything, that you were sorry. I've known for a long time."

Noa clung to Yami even more desperately. "But I… I never said it. And I never told Seto. That's why he hates me!" he wailed into Yami's shoulder.

"He doesn't hate you, and neither do I. Noa, we love you like a little brother..."

"Maybe you do. But I don't think… he'll ever really forgive me."

Yami shook his head, feeling Noa's hair tickling his cheek at the motion. But he didn't back off, and didn't let go. "When Seto's feeling a bit better… you need to sit down and talk to him. Tell him exactly how you feel."

Noa's breath hitched. At the moment, he was almost too scared to even be in the same room with Seto. Not that he'd admit that, not to Yami. "But what if… what if he won't listen?" he asked instead, pulling away to study Yami's reaction.

A sympathetic smile alighted on the former Pharaoh's lips. "He will. He might not say much in return, but if you broach the subject, he'll listen. And if you're worried about how he might react, I'll be happy to sit in with you. Or you could ask Mokuba to."

"Mokuba…"

"It's not a hopeless situation. Mokuba's just very upset right now, and there's nothing I can do to reassure him. Not that that gives him the right to brush you aside, because you're hurting too, but I can understand his dilemma. When push comes to shove, sometimes people do things that they regret later. You understand that, right? So try not to be too angry with him…"

"I'm not. I'm just… he got mad because I stuck up for you, because I blamed Seto for what happened… but what else could I do? You tried to help me…"

"I couldn't stand idly by while your life was in danger," Yami said grimly. "I wish there had been another option, a gentler one… I tried to just pull him away, but…"

Noa nodded in sympathy, then stood up slowly. The crimson-eyed man had enough guilt to deal with. He didn't need Mokuba making things worse for him. Pushing aside his own fears and concerns, he said, "I'm going to go check in on Mokuba, and maybe try talking to him a bit. No matter how mad he is, he has to know… you did the only thing you could. It doesn't mean you don't have Seto's best interests in mind, or that you care about him any less than before."

"He might not be ready to talk. Don't force it," Yami warned, but he sounded tired.

"I won't," Noa assured him. "But since I'm not going to get any work done at this rate anyway, I might as well try and make myself useful in some other way." He shrugged to himself, then began shutting down his laptop and clearing off his workspace in anticipation of a painfully long and unproductive afternoon. "Maybe I can at least get him to tolerate your presence again, since it is _your_ bedroom that he's holed up in."

Yami smiled slightly. Noa really was a good person, even if he was a bit abrasive and blunt at times. Then again, most people would say the same about Seto… assuming they got to know him well enough to even see that much. "Thank you. Good luck."

"Keep your fingers crossed," came Noa's reply, and once he was satisfied that the table was about as organized as it could be, he took a deep breath and walked out of the room before his own doubts could dissuade him from what he needed to do for Yami.

* * *

Mokuba felt his lips curling back into a snarl as he heard the door open yet again, and cautious footsteps began padding slowly towards the bed. Damn it, he had just begun to get himself settled again… why did Yami have to come back in? What did it take for him to get the hint that he wasn't welcome? By now, he must've realized that Seto was still as unresponsive as he'd been 15 minutes earlier… so there was no reason for him to be hanging around. Or was he thinking Mokuba had "cooled off" enough to want to talk?

_Not a chance in hell! _Angry that Yami was completely disregarding his wishes, Mokuba sat up, determined to just tell the ex-spirit off, but it wasn't Yami blinking back at him from across the room…

"Noa?" Mokuba let out a breath he hadn't remembered holding in. Suddenly, he felt stupid for letting his paranoia get the best of him. It was just Noa, not Yami.

"Hey," Noa responded hesitantly. Although Mokuba seemed a little calmer now, he had looked so pissed off moments earlier that the older teen had totally forgotten about what he wanted to say.

Mokuba was silent for several seconds, as if he too were considering what he wanted to say… Finally, he cocked his head, his attention caught by Noa's injuries and the memories they elicited, then in a slightly more hushed tone, asked, "How are you feeling?" He rose to his feet, stepping closer to get a better look at his boyfriend, concern clouding his eyes.

"Okay, I guess. A little sore."

"… You need a doctor? Aspirin maybe, an ice pack…?"

"No."

"Good. I mean… I… uh…."

"Yeah…" Great, now they were both floundering around as if they couldn't even remember how to converse with one another. Noa shrugged helplessly as he began rubbing self consciously at his neck. He couldn't help but think of Yami asking the same question Mokuba had just asked, and the subsequent discussion / argument that had arisen. He was haunted by his own words to Yami: _Why do you care? Mokuba doesn't…_

"The things I said earlier… I didn't mean them," Mokuba suddenly said.

"What do you mean?" There were so many words exchanged earlier, angry ones; they'd been slung around carelessly like debris in a landfill…

"I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. You do matter to me." Mokuba's voice was so soft and sad that Noa nearly missed his admission.

"Wh… what?" Had he voiced his thoughts out loud moments earlier? He was almost certain he hadn't…

The black-haired teen looked straight at him, and took a steadying breath. "I… you had asked me if you mattered to me. Back when…" He exhaled, not wanting to finish the rest of that thought. "Well, you do. You always have."

Noa shut his eyes momentarily, feeling almost dizzy with relief and yet, at the same time, he knew that that hadn't really solved anything. They still had a lot to talk about. And as much as he hated to bring certain things up, he knew he had to. He owed it to Yami, after all. "What about Yami?"

"What about him?" Mokuba inquired, though his voice had begun to take on a slight edge.

"You said some pretty cruel things to hi…"

"Yeah, and he deserved them."

The venom and speed with which that last statement had been delivered was startling, but Noa didn't back down. "Mokuba, you kicked him out of his own bedroom, you told him to go to hell… you told him that he doesn't love Seto, Christ…"

Mokuba glanced down at his big brother, then back at Noa. The storm clouds had rolled back into his eyes. "Look at him. He's practically in a fucking coma," Mokuba hissed dangerously, his voice cracking a bit. "You telling me that's love?! How can Yami do this to him and then claim he loves him in the next breath?!"

"He was trying to protect me! You can't really think he did that to Seto on purpose?!"

"No, but… it doesn't matter! How could he… how could he do this again, when he knows…" Mokuba shook his head wildly, as if that would help him focus on what he was trying to say. "It was bad enough before, but Seto was really sick this time. There was no way he could withstand Yami's Shadow Magic, and Yami knew that and used it on him anyway."

Noa blinked, confused. _This time? Again? _"What do you mean?" He paused, sensing that he needed to choose his words carefully. "Has something like this happened before?"

Mokuba suddenly froze, his lips pursing slightly. His breath made a whistling sound as it escaped between his teeth. "Huh. I guess… That's right, we haven't told you…"

Okay, now Noa was truly and utterly lost. It was like trying to put together a puzzle that was missing the majority of its pieces. Grasping for anything that might help him make sense of what his boyfriend was mumbling about, Noa cautiously asked, "Does this have something to do with, um… Death-T?"

Mokuba reacted so strongly that he actually took a step back, as if he'd just seen a ghost. "How did… where did you hear that from?"

"I heard Seto mention it before," Noa explained sullenly. Mokuba was beginning to stare at him suspiciously, so he quickly followed up his explanation with the obvious question. "Why, what is it?"

The younger teen looked over at Seto again, almost apologetically. "Guess I owe it to you to explain," he told Noa after a minute, though he didn't meet his boyfriend's curious gaze. Instead, Mokuba began looking around the room, almost as if he were searching for a spot that would give them some privacy.

It didn't make sense; Seto was, as Mokuba put it, practically in a coma. What did they need privacy for? Noa was about to point that out when Mokuba came to a decision, saying, "The sitting room is probably about as good as it's going to get, huh? I don't feel like doing the hallway thing again."

"Sure… Whatever you want," Noa agreed.

But Mokuba still seemed unsettled after they sat down in the small seating area off the side of the master bedroom. He was wringing his hands a little; his gaze was still fixed on Seto's body, as if he'd already forgotten about Noa sitting there with him. But Noa wanted an answer, no matter how long it'd take.

Eventually, Mokuba sighed softly and turned back to Noa, his eyes moist. Reluctantly, he began to speak. "Seto and Yami first met because of that fourth Blue Eyes White Dragon. This was back when he was 15. Nii-sama had been trying to track down the dragons, and had seen the card at Mr. Mutou's shop. He had been so excited; it was the first time he'd seen the real deal! He offered to trade his entire briefcase of cards for it, but Mr. Mutou refused him, saying that the card was worth more to him than anything Seto had. I guess the next day, Yugi took the card to school with him, and Nii-sama felt compelled to… procure it through less than honest means," Mokuba said with distaste.

"Is that when it got ripped up?" Noa asked, thinking back to the end of the Grand Prix and the surprised look on Mokuba's face when he saw that the card had somehow gotten fixed.

"Not quite. Yami came out to challenge Nii-sama to a Shadow Game... a penalty game, to get the card back. And the penalty was a nightmare, an illusion of death. Night after night, Seto suffered through that nightmare… He couldn't accept the fact that he had lost to Yami when he should've won. He always won! But… that Blue Eyes had turned on him, and he lost. That's why he decided to give Yami a taste of his own medicine. So he built the Death Theme Park, Death-T for short, and 'invited' Yugi and the others participate in it."

"Uh, how did he get them to agree to it? I can't imagine something called 'Death-T' would attract many willing participants…"

Mokuba made a pained sound. He seemed to be evaluating whether or not he wanted to continue, but he knew he owed Noa the truth. "He… sorta had Mr. Mutou kidnapped and forced him into a duel. After Mr. Mutou lost, Nii-sama tore up his Blue Eyes and gave him a penalty via a death simulation chamber, which he had created to replicate the nightmare Yami had given him…"

The green-haired teen shook his head as his boyfriend sucked in another breath in order to continue. Noa's thoughts momentarily drifted to Sugoroku. He liked the elderly man… like everyone else, he couldn't help but see him as a grandfather of sorts, especially since he couldn't remember if he ever had grandparents of his own. Sugoroku had even spent Christmas morning with them the previous year. He didn't remember seeing any signs of animosity between him and Seto. And he had given Seto that last Blue Eyes at the conclusion of the Kaiba Corp. Grand Prix. But… it almost didn't make sense. Seto had done such terrible things to Sugoroku; how could he stand being in the same house with him, or approve of Yami dating him? And yet, somehow he had forgiven Seto…

"… That's why Yugi and Yami finally agreed to participate, because that was the price they had to pay to get Mr. Mutou out of the death simulation chamber. It's probably a good thing they did, since the old man had a heart attack over it. Then Death-T really began. Of course, thanks to Jou and Honda and Anzu's help, they managed to get through all the obstacles to duel Seto. When Yami won again, he gave Nii-sama another penalty, Mind Crushing him and shattering his heart. He was left in a coma for nearly a year while he tried to piece it back together again… and I was left to deal with the Big Five, along with the rest of Kaiba Corp."

The news came as a shock. The Big Five had never mentioned anything about that, and that was a pretty big thing to leave out. Noa literally couldn't think of a thing to say in response, but Mokuba was now looking at him with weary expectancy, as if awaiting judgement. He focused on him so intently that Noa just blurted out the first thing that popped into his head. "And we thought it was a good idea for them to date because…?"

"That's not funny," Mokuba scolded, but reminiscing about the past had taken enough out of him that it was easier for him to just address Noa's comment instead of complaining about it further. "I wouldn't ever have considered setting them up if Nii-sama hadn't been obsessed with Yami in _that_ way. I just wanted him to be happy… I thought it'd help him to have a boyfriend. "

"I think it has." _Seto was a much bigger ass before Yami._

Mokuba's eyes slid shut, his brow furrowing. He tilted his head back. "How could he do this to him?" he moaned once again. "I trusted him. I even backed him up when Nii-sama tried to break up with him. Seto doesn't deserve this…"

"Sounds like what you're mad about is that you feel like Yami betrayed _you_, not Seto," Noa muttered, his bitterness infecting his tone.

"No! This isn't about me…"

"Right. Because it would've been better if Yami had done nothing at all, huh?" Noa bit out, struggling to rein in his temper.

Mokuba suddenly jumped to his feet. "That's not what I'm saying! What the hell is wrong with you?"

Noa also rose to his feet, deliberately matching the younger teen move for move. "Look, I've accepted that if I want to be with you, I'll always have to be number two in your life. Fine, whatever. You don't hear me bitching about that right now, do you? But you know Yami did the right thing; you're just so mad you can't see beyond this… betrayal. You're not even thinking about Seto right now!"

"How can you say that?! You think that…"

"I can say it because I know Seto wouldn't want to see you and Yami at odds. And he wouldn't want you fighting his fights for him. If he's gonna be mad at Yami when he wakes up – and he won't be, but if he were – then fine, then they can fight amongst themselves. But it's not up to you to do that for him, or worse, claim that you're doing it for him when you're only doing it yourself," Noa answered stiffly.

Mokuba's eyes flashed like the discharge of lightning amidst rain darkened skies. "Nii-sama's business IS my business. It sounds more to me like YOU'RE pissed because you think I didn't do enough to help you earlier. Well, what did you expect me to do?! I tried to stop him and I couldn't and don't you think I feel terrible about that? Why are you yelling at me when I didn't do anything wrong?!"

Hearing the hurt in Mokuba's voice, Noa automatically began responding to it. "I… I'm not saying you didn't do enough. But it's not up to you to punish Yami." He winced as he said that, anticipating Mokuba to yell back that yes, it was his business, and maybe Noa should butt out. Or something like that.

But Mokuba actually shut up for a second. He seemed to be mulling something over as he began restlessly pacing back and forth. Maybe some of what Noa had said was sinking into his skull. Or…

He came to a stop, then half turned towards Noa, sparing him a hesitant glance. "I was there too. Death-T, I mean," Mokuba admitted haltingly. "I wanted to kill Yami for what he had done. I had already challenged him twice before behind Nii-sama's back… but I was sure this time, I'd pull off a win. I had to; I knew Nii-sama would be watching and he already told me that I wouldn't be able to do it. I just wanted… to prove to him that I could. So on the fourth level, I challenged Yami one more time, to a game of Capsule Monsters Chess. That was my game! But I lost, again. Nii-sama… gave me the punishment that should have been Yami's. But Yami came back and pulled me out of the death simulation chamber… and, well, you know the rest."

Noa snorted. "… No wonder Yami Mind Crushed him, then," he snarled, though that was mild compared to what he wanted to say. _Seto got exactly what he deserved! _Bad enough that Seto wanted him dead, but Mokuba? He had thought that Mokuba was the one person that Seto would never hurt, the one person that Seto would give his life for without reservation. How wrong he was! He felt his blood boiling just thinking about it.

"He had no right. He didn't understand what Nii-sama had been through. You don't either," Mokuba accused, seeing the rage in his boyfriend's eyes. "I thought you'd understand. But I guess all that stuff I talked about out in the hallway earlier didn't mean a thing, huh?"

"What, about my father?"

"You think Seto was always like this?" Mokuba demanded.

The older teen shrugged. "Hell if I know. I don't think he was innocent as you'd like to believe, though. Seems to me he instigated a lot of the fights with my father."

In a split second, Mokuba's face reddened with rage, and the entire room seemed to darken in reaction to his mood. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been this angry. "I dare you to say that again to my face!!" he bellowed.

"Your brother got what he deserved. He tried to play my father and got in over his head. It's his own fault!" Noa unleashed in return.

"How DARE you! You have no idea… no idea at all of the HELL my brother went through for me!"

"I know that he tried to KILL you! And yet you defend him? How can you stand by him after that?!"

"You think he wanted to be with a bastard like Gozaburo? He did it so that I would have a home, so that I would be provided for, so that I wouldn't be separated from the only family I had left since NO ONE wanted me… only him!"

Noa's eyes widened slightly. He hadn't ever considered how hard it must've been to try and convince prospective parents to take a pair of kids… and had never considered the possibility of no one wanting Mokuba when he was far more likeable than his older brother. "Mok…"

"He never would have lost himself if it weren't for me! He sacrificed everything he had, sold his heart and soul to the devil – your _father_ – for my sake!" Mokuba continued on, viciously emphasizing each and every word, honing them into verbal daggers.

Then suddenly, Mokuba's anger seemed to dissipate slightly, though it continued to smolder like the embers left behind after a raging fire. "Do you know why he tried to kill me?" he choked out. "Gozaburo had twisted Nii-sama's soul so completely that he couldn't tell right from wrong anymore. But he knew it was his duty… no, his _privilege_… to protect me from anything that was a threat, and in that, he included himself. He kept trying to push me away so that he wouldn't accidentally hurt me… but I wouldn't leave him. I couldn't. The only thing I ever wanted was to be with him. And then he went too far and ended up doing what he feared most..."

Tears welled up now, stinging Mokuba's eyes, but he pressed on, his voice growing louder in agitation once again. "You think I ought to abandon him for that. You wonder why I'm sticking up for him. It's because I love him, because he loves me, and he gave up everything he had for me… and I'm not going to let you, or anyone else, disparage that!"

Noa's mouth was hanging open slightly by time the black-haired teen paused for breath, as if he'd been caught mid-sentence but was suddenly struck dumb. He didn't know what he could say to that, or if he even ought to say anything. He almost felt… numb. Why hadn't he known about any of these things earlier? Did Seto and Mokuba really have that little faith in him? Was he really that much of an intrusion into their lives?

A darkly satisfied look settled onto Mokuba's tear stained face. "It was pretty pathetic listening to you defend your father even though he wouldn't do for you half the things Nii-sama has done for me. Maybe I should feel sorry for you instead. Nii-sama and I are a team, and we always will be. He always said we never needed anyone else, because… you just can't rely on other people. I had hoped you and Yami would be the exceptions to that, but I guess Nii-sama was right!"

"Even your brother knows that's not true, not anymore," interrupted a deep voice from the doorway. Mokuba quickly spun around, scowling when he spotted Yami leaning against the doorjamb, his arms folded.

Noa looked over as well, albeit it more slowly, almost as if he couldn't believe Yami was standing there. He sank into the closest seat, feeling slightly disoriented and confused. He wasn't sure if he ought to be relieved for the reprieve, or horrified at the prospect of the ex-spirit having overheard the nastiest parts of the argument. "Yami…"

"What now? Come to fuck things up even worse?" Mokuba yelled, glad for a new target to fling his fury at, but Yami simply shook his head and stepped closer instead.

"Do you think Seto would want to wake up to the two of you fighting, and learn that he was the cause of it?" Yami asked.

"Well you won't have to worry about that… or did you already forget about what you've done?! " Mokuba snapped. "And just how much of our 'discussion' were you listening in on, anyways?"

Yami ignored the first accusation, knowing that there was nothing he could say to make Mokuba feel better, and concentrated instead on the latter. "I could hear you both yelling from all the way down the hallway. So it wasn't like I had to try to listen in," he explained as he sat himself down in a nearby seat. He silently urged Mokuba to do the same, but the taller teen stubbornly stayed on his feet, his body still tense with anger.

Yami sighed. "I know you love your brother more than anything, Mokuba. I know you want to protect him. I know you think I've gone too far, that I've done something to unfairly punish Seto – and you're not going to think otherwise until he's awake – but you're wrong. I love him with every fiber of my being… and it tore me apart, having to turn my magic against him. But I forced myself to do it because there was no other choice. I knew you'd be absolutely livid with me… and I thought it'd do you more harm than good for me to stay by Seto's side, so I entrusted him to your care. But I shouldn't have done that. I have a responsibility not only to Seto, but to you as well. As much as you needed time to cool off, you needed someone here with you even more. You aren't alone, Mokuba."

"Bullshit," Mokuba hissed under his breath, but it was lacking the strength of his earlier outbursts. He really wanted to stay angry, but his earlier fight with Noa had taken a lot out of him, and he just couldn't drum up the energy for another round, not right now. But that didn't mean he had forgiven Yami either…

With nothing else to say to either Noa or Yami, Mokuba abruptly whirled and stalked out of the sitting room to rejoin Seto in bed.

Yami shook his head slowly. He wished he could do something to get through to Mokuba, but until Seto was awake again, the younger teen would be deaf to anything he had to say. But at least he hadn't tried to order him out of the room again…

The sound of Noa shifting uncomfortably in his seat snapped Yami's attention back to the sitting area. The green-haired teen seemed a little bewildered still, like a deer caught in headlights. Everything that Mokuba had yelled at him had been so unexpected, so startling… he didn't even know where to start to make sense of it all.

"Noa…" Yami began, his voice softer than before. It was barely above a whisper. "What Mokuba said about not being able to rely on others… he's wrong, you know. But he's had as hard of a time as Seto… just in a different way. He had to watch it all happen. He's scarred too. Only his scars aren't physical."

"I… I didn't know," Noa stammered. He really hadn't. He wished he had just kept his mouth shut, but he'd been so upset by everything that had happened already, it hadn't taken much to get him worked up all over again. And hearing about Seto actually attempting to kill Mokuba… that had just been too much to take, and the hateful comments that had been ready and waiting, coating his tongue like bitter medicine, demanded to be spat out…

"I know. It's a lot to take in. It was my first time hearing about some of it, too," Yami admitted with a sigh. "And plus, it never occurred to me… you weren't around for it – Death-T I mean. I guess it's something none of us like talking about. But, as Seto's so fond of reminding me, the past is past, and you can't change it. All you can do is hold on to the knowledge, so that you don't repeat your mistakes. I hope you'll remember that as well."

"I'll… try." It wasn't quite a promise, but he meant what he said.

"That's all I can ask," Yami replied with a slight smile, though it didn't quite reach his eyes, and Noa realized how much this had to be bothering the ex-spirit as well. It didn't seem fair for him and Mokuba to burden him with all their problems too, but at the moment, Yami seemed to be the only pillar he could lean on.

"So… now what?" Noa risked a glance towards the bed, but Mokuba gave no indication that he was bothering to listen in on their conversation.

Yami exhaled and leaned back into his seat a little, as if he knew he'd be there for a while. And he was now looking towards the bed as well, though Noa knew Yami's attention wasn't on Mokuba. "Now… we wait."

"For Seto?"

Yami simply nodded.

Noa didn't say anything else. He got up, pulled his seat closer to Yami's, then settled himself back down onto it. But… it wasn't quite enough. So Noa hunkered down and leaned closer, seeking some sort of solace, and Yami didn't protest when his head finally made contact with his shoulder. Perhaps they both needed reassurance. It wasn't the same as sitting with their respective boyfriends, but for the time being, it would have to be enough.

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes:  
- Hrm, I probably shoulda mentioned this earlier. A lot of the stuff that's getting brought up about Seto and Noa's relationship comes from an earlier fic arc called "Taboo." So I think I just realized that this story may be rather confusing to anyone that didn't read that, since I'm drawing from it a lot this chapter. It's just a "Noa dates Mokuba behind Seto's back, Seto finds out and flips out and attack Noa, and then they sorta make up because neither one wants to upset Mokuba" story. Anyhow, that's what Yami's referring to when he mentions the events of two months ago. Damn me for assuming everyone's memorized all my fics!  
- I finally realized at some point this chapter that my time calculations are off from canon. Not by a whole lot, but enough to irritate me. Seto was supposed to be 16 at Death-T; but when I had first started writing this ficverse, I thought he was 15 back then, and so my stories are all based on that assumption. (And Yugi/Yami are canonically older than Seto as well, but I'm sure by this point, my regular readers have noticed that I switched it so that Seto's slightly older.) So you're all wondering, does that actually change anything as far as the overall flow of my ficverse? No, I don't think so. But since I have a need to have things like character ages and dates planned out in each arc, it bothers me. And if you're as anal retentive as me, it'll probably make you pull your hair out hehe.  
- Also, I had no clue how long Seto was in a coma for following Death-T (and I probably way overcompensated by putting it at a year) but given the extra inches he grew during that period of time (shut up, not those kind of inches!), it was obviously longer than just a few weeks. I think six months is the number most often used, but once again, I had originally calculated a longer period of time, so in order to make the time jumps balance in my head, you'll just have to live with that.


	6. Ch 6: Reactivate the Body

Disclaimer: Virus Buster Serge is the creation of Masami Obari. Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**The Cost of Doing Business**

**Ch. 6: Reactivate the Body**

* * *

It was pretty late by the time Mokuba finally drifted off to sleep by Seto's side, and even later before Noa joined him in slumber, albeit on the sofa in the sitting nook. But Yami was too anxious and preoccupied to even think about sleeping, even as the hours wore on and late evening rolled into very early morning.

He had thought of a hundred and one reasons not to bother Yugi, or perhaps it would've been more accurate to call them what they were – excuses. It had been a Friday night and all their friends would've been over at the game shop, and Yami hadn't wanted to cut into Yugi's time with the gang. And now that it was so late, Yugi was definitely asleep. Plus it wasn't his partner's problem; Yugi hadn't been involved in taking care of Seto during his illness or anything and hadn't been around to witness his episodes. But more than that… how would Yami explain what he had done?

But… he was getting desperate for someone to talk to, someone who'd at least hear him out before interrupting, or passing judgement. And if anyone would understand, it'd be Yugi. Even if it was nearly 3 AM.

… _Aibou, _Yami sent uncertainly, not wanting to startle his other half awake. Part of him almost wished that Yugi wouldn't hear him or that he'd be too deeply asleep to be able to respond.

Several seconds went by, then a sleepy voice queried, _Yami? Mm… what time is…_

Yami instantly regretted what he had done. Yugi obviously had been asleep, and now he had woken him… just because he was feeling bad. _I'm sorry. It's… nothing. Go back to sleep._

_No! It's okay, really,_ Yugi sent back, already sounding a bit more alert.

_I shouldn't have bothered you. I really am sorry,_ Yami said contritely.

_Don't say that. You're never a bother,_ Yugi gently chided, sending a current of warm concern before asking, _So how's Kaiba doing? Everyone's been worried about him. Some of the gang even talked about dropping over for a quick visit tonight, er, last night, but Jii-chan said he'd probably appreciate resting a lot more than visitors..._

Yami found himself nodding in agreement, even as his eyes flickered to Seto's body on the bed. _He… he's been resting,_ Yami glumly began, then he swallowed hard before adding, _But he isn't doing well, and I… Mokuba… he's so mad…_

Yugi remained silent while his darker half struggled to compose himself, letting his presence be the support and encouragement that Yami needed. Truthfully, he had been aware that something had gone grievously awry; although Yami's spirit had been flagging the last few days, he had seemed to be managing okay considering the circumstances, and hadn't mentioned any specific problems all the times they'd talked. So Yugi hadn't been overly worried… until that afternoon. That was when Yami's emotional state had taken a nosedive so abrupt and so jarring that Yugi had nearly fallen off the stool in the shop. He had been tempted to contact Yami immediately after that, but had forced himself to hold off… Yami had the right to deal with his problems on his own terms. Yugi hadn't wanted to interfere, hadn't wanted to act like Yami couldn't be trusted to make his own decisions, so all he could do was to leave the door to his mind wide open, a standing invitation, a reminder of his love and concern.

But hours slipped by with no response. And Yugi had begun to worry, so much so that he had asked to end the usual Friday night gathering early, and had even whispered that fact to Yami. But still, the former Pharaoh hadn't been willing to step over the boundary that separated their thoughts. So it was a tremendous relief to finally hear from him, even if it was 3 AM.

_It's tough being a parent, huh? _Yugi told him, trying to encourage a response.

_You don't know the half of it,_ Yami sighed, before adding, _I did something terrible - that's why Mokuba's mad at me… and I'm afraid you'll be, too._

_No, I won't. No matter what it is, I believe in you. _

_Yugi… _Another sigh, then, _This afternoon, something happened… and I ended up using Shadow Magic on Seto. He's so sick; I know it wasn't his fault, but still, I Mind Crushed him. He hasn't moved or anything since. Mokuba says I've really hurt him. What if I have? I tried to hold back as much as I could, but… _Yami had to pause for several seconds to calm himself enough to be able to finish. _Mokuba said he hated me, that he'd never forgive me…_

Yugi's mind raced to process what he was being told. It was almost unbelievable, but it obviously had to be the truth. Yami had Mind Crushed Seto. The last time he had… But things were different now. Yami loved Seto. And Yugi knew, Yami wouldn't even have thought of doing such a thing unless… he'd been trying to protect someone else. _I… you must've had a good reason for what you did – actually, I can name two of them. You did it for the boys, didn't you? _

Yami hesitated again, unable to decide how much to reveal. Finally, in a bare whisper, he said, _I think Seto's medication has been causing him to hallucinate. He's been getting really confused. Then, this afternoon… he suddenly attacked Noa. We couldn't get him off him. Noa was really in trouble, and… I did what I had to. I know I did the right thing. I'd do it again, if I had to. But… that doesn't make it any easier for me – or Mokuba – to accept. _

The violet-eyed duelist sent the equivalent of a hug to his crimson-eyed look alike. _You DID do the right thing. Kaiba would agree, I'm positive. It's what he would've expected you to do. _

_You're not angry with me? Disappointed? Maybe it's just in my nature to…_

_Don't even! I mean, I am a little surprised,_ Yugi admitted. _I didn't expect anything this bad, but no, of course I'm not angry. If anything, I feel for you – I know how much you love Kaiba. I can't imagine how hard it was for you. _

_What if Mokuba's right, and I wasn't careful enough and hurt him? It wasn't like I had much time to think about it… Ra, I couldn't live with myself if I've harmed him in any way!_

_You didn't. You know how tough Kaiba is; even sick, he'll pull through._

_Last time, he was in a coma for nearly a year!_ Yami blurted out, frustrated.

_Last time, you were forced to shatter his heart and he had to piece it back together. But he has never held that against you, has he? Because you did what needed to be done. _

_That's why I know he'd understand. But Mokuba… if Mokuba can't forgive me, then Seto…_

_Mokuba will come around. He said that last time too. But right now, he's scared and upset and probably won't be willing to listen to reason until Kaiba wakes up. I bet this dredged up some bad memories for him too, seeing Kaiba out of control, seeing you use your magic on him. But no matter what he says, he needs you. He needs to know that you care, that you won't abandon him or his brother. I mean… he's just never had anyone else that he could really rely on, right? It was just him and Kaiba for a long time…_

_Yes… yes, I guess you're right,_ Yami said slowly. He had said those same things to Noa hours earlier, but in the stifling silence of the night had begun to doubt his own words so much that it took the weight of Yugi's conviction to sink them firmly back into his heart.

… _Sometimes it's hard to look at the big picture when you're in the thick of things._

_Yes, that's true. And I do love those boys as if they were my own little brothers. But sometimes I think I forget… they're both Kaibas. Seto's not the only one in the family that's seen difficult times… nor the only one that needs to be reminded that there's other people that care._

Yugi gave his darker half a small smile, an encouraging one. _Mmhmm._

_Thank you, Aibou. I'm always grateful that I have you. And… I am sorry that I woke you up. I should have talked to you sooner. I just… I didn't know what to do. Maybe I'm a bit difficult too._

_It's okay, really! Because you'd have done the same for me. Besides, when you're worried, I am too. I wasn't sleeping all that well before you woke me anyway._

_Heh. _Yami finally returned the mental hug Yugi had sent him earlier. _Good night, sweet dreams._

_Same to you._

* * *

It was the somewhat clumsy petting of his mane of hair that woke Mokuba the next morning. At first, it didn't really bother him at all; his sleep addled mind told him it was just Noa – who else could it be? – but the weight of the hand and the way it moved didn't feel quite right, though there was something very familiar about it…

The black-haired teen reached up and rubbed at his eyes before blinking at the person on the bed beside him, and then all at once it hit him.

"Seto!" Mokuba was so relieved that he could barely breathe. He flung his arms around his brother, squeezing hard, as if he needed to feel the shifting of his body in order to truly believe that he was awake.

The brunette had apparently been staring off into the opposite direction, but at the sound of his whispered name, he turned slowly to give Mokuba a faint, shaky smile. But the teen wasn't reassured just yet. He pulled back just enough so that he could see Seto's face, his eyes searching frantically for any indicators of improvement in his brother's mental state. He looked weary; he was obviously still very sick. But his eyes were clear for the first time in days, and now that he had caught the worried look on Mokuba's face, he looked concerned as well.

"What's wrong?" he rasped, his normally deep voice sounding almost brittle. He coughed, trying to work some moisture into his throat, but his mouth was so dry… had they not been able to wake him to get him to drink something? Was that why Mokuba had that look on his face?

"You're… you…" Mokuba began stammering, then he stopped to let his brain catch up to his mouth before continuing. It wouldn't do to scream, "You're alive!" in Seto's face since that would most likely just alarm him, so he settled for asking, "What's… the last thing you remember?"

Seto shrugged, silently cursing the soreness that had invaded every muscle in his body. He hated feeling weak and helpless, but more than that, he hated the fact that his memory was hazy and disjointed. The fact that Mokuba was asking him a question like that told him that something bad must've happened, but he couldn't for the life of him think of what that could be. Did it have something to do with Noa or Yami? The two of them were sleeping in the suite's sitting area, with Noa on the sofa and Yami slumped in a chair, which was just… weird. Why had Mokuba been in bed beside him instead of Yami? At the edge of his recollection, he could sense that there was _something_ that he ought to remember… but he couldn't make heads or tails out of the faint images that slipped by him like thin tendrils of fog. Unable to think of anything to say, he merely shrugged again, then with a bit more embarrassment, whispered, "Hafta use the bathroom."

That seemed to snap Mokuba out of the stupor he was in. "Oh! Right, uh…" He quickly rolled out of bed and offered a hand to Seto. The young CEO frowned at the assumption that he needed help, but… truth be told, he wasn't sure if he could get up on his own. Sitting up was enough to make his chest tighten intolerably, and getting onto his feet set the entire room spinning, making him want to vomit.

Clutching Mokuba's arm a little more tightly than he had planned, Seto finally stumbled into the bathroom, where he managed to grab on to the wall for support before shooing Mokuba out.

"Other than water or tea or whatever, is there anything else you need? Something to eat maybe?" Mokuba asked from around the corner. Seto may have wanted his privacy, but Mokuba wasn't going to risk him just passing out in front of the toilet either.

There was just a muffled grunt, then a moment later, "Meds?"

Mokuba nearly responded, "I'll go get them" but suddenly remembered, there weren't any more pills, well, no more oseltamivir at least. Yami had dumped those down the toilet, had said something about delirium being a side effect of those pills. Was that why Seto was more lucid than he had been in days?

"… Mokuba?"

"Huh? Oh, um, you should eat a little something with the antibiotics. Is there anything you want?"

"Don't care," Seto answered, starting to sound noticeably more winded already. Then the toilet flushed. "I… could you…"

Not wanting to hear his brother beg for more assistance, Mokuba hurried back to Seto's side, trying his best to sound encouraging as he walked him back to bed and helped him to settle under the blankets before excusing himself for a quick run down to the kitchen.

Seto might not have been hungry, but Mokuba knew he really ought to eat something. He was weak enough as it was, and it hadn't helped that he'd been out since the previous afternoon… So the teen hurriedly heated up a can of soup and grabbed a box of crackers – not great, but they'd suffice – and rushed back up to Seto's bedroom.

The brunette was staring off into space again by the time he got back. A little disconcerted, Mokuba got in front of Seto to force his brother to focus on him, then helped him to sit up before plying him with water and pills and food. Seto reluctantly nibbled on a few crackers dipped in soup and took the offered medication, though he still seemed distracted. Mokuba almost felt like Seto was trying to look through him, though he wasn't sure…

_Ah._ He had forgotten that Yami was still in the sitting area, asleep. Noa too. He wasn't sure how all of that had slipped his mind, but he'd been so focused on Seto's needs…

Mokuba sat back, feeling confused, almost frustrated, all of a sudden. Here he was doing his best to look out for Seto's health, but Seto would rather stare at Yami than take care of his own needs. But… he couldn't say that that really surprised him. Seeing that distracted look on Seto's face reminded him of something from a few years back…

It had happened just after Noa and Yami had been brought out of their respective "prisons." Not surprisingly, the shock of suddenly being alive again had been enough to knock both of them out seconds after they had regained their physical forms. Since no one had had a clue if any complications would arise from what had happened, they'd been taken to a hospital, just as a precaution.

While Yugi-tachi had maintained a vigil over Yami in one room, Mokuba of course had stayed by Noa's bedside, along with Seto, who, although he hadn't said a word about it, clearly didn't trust even an unconscious Noa alone with his little brother. And the black-haired boy had been okay with that, except for one thing…

Seto had spent most of his time leaning against the back wall of Noa's room, staring out the door and across the hallway to where Yami's room was. He had spent hours like that. Then Yugi had stuck his head in to see how Noa was doing, and to let them know that Yami had regained consciousness. Seto had shown no visible reaction, but Mokuba had known… he obviously wanted to see Yami.

"Go on… go see how he's doing," Mokuba had encouraged his brother once Yugi had left.

Seto had looked at him, clearly considering it, before looking down at Noa's still form. His expression had darkened, just slightly, when he realized that Mokuba intended to stay behind with Noa. "No… there's no need," he had murmured, even as his eyes traitorously darted back towards the doorway.

Mokuba had sighed. "Nii-sama…" His brother was a lousy liar. But Seto's refusal to go had put him in a bit of a quandary. Mokuba hadn't planned on leaving Noa's side since no one else had volunteered to sit with him, and he didn't want him waking up alone. But at the same time, it had bothered him to see Seto pretending like what he wanted didn't matter, though at the time, Mokuba hadn't fully understood why Seto would want to see his rival so badly. He had always known there was something between the two of them, some sort of connection…

_Is that what he wants, even now? Even after what happened? _Mokuba wondered, then he shook his head at himself. Seto obviously didn't remember what had happened. He didn't know what he had done, or what Yami had done to him in return. For a split second Mokuba considered that maybe they ought to not tell him at all, since he hadn't been of sound mind when he had attacked Noa, but that wasn't right either… Yami was supposed to be Seto's boyfriend, and Seto deserved to know what he had done.

Mokuba cleared his throat to get his brother's attention back on him. "You want me to wake him?"

Predictably, Seto replied, "Don't. Let him sleep."

"He'd want to know that you're awake. I know he would."

Seto slanted a look at his younger sibling. There was definitely something amiss. He just wasn't sure what it was yet… and he wasn't sure if he had the energy to spare to figure it out for himself. But it was still early in the morning, and Yami usually didn't wake until much later. He supposed he could just ask if something had happened, but since Mokuba wasn't simply telling him up front and was in fact, fidgeting in his seat, maybe he'd be better off talking to Yami. He just didn't want to wake him…

Mokuba suddenly stood up, intent on making the decision Seto wouldn't. "It's okay, he'd want me to wake him," he said with forced brightness before turning and walking towards the attached sitting nook.

Seto opened his mouth to stop him, but then reconsidered it. Mokuba wasn't a little kid anymore… he couldn't force him to talk. Maybe Mokuba was hoping Yami would be able to voice his concerns for him instead…

Yami must've been pretty deeply asleep, for it seemed to take Mokuba an eternity to wake him. As seconds ticked by and pooled into minutes, Seto could feel himself beginning to drift off, but he fought against it out of habit, determined to stay awake so he could at least greet his boyfriend properly. But his body was working against him, demanding yet more rest, and just as he felt himself starting to lose the battle to remain conscious, Yami was there at his side, crimson eyes awash with relief, holding his hand and kissing his forehead.

"Seto…" the ex-spirit murmured, shifting to press his cheek against his lover's. "Thank goodness…"

"What… happened?" Seto mumbled, his head rolling a little on the pillow as he tried to look up at Yami, who was practically on top of him like a blanket. Looking out over Yami's shoulder, the brunette could see Mokuba hovering anxiously nearby, almost like a chaperone, and a barely awake Noa standing even further back, looking even more uncertain.

Something was definitely very wrong. He wanted to know what had happened while he was asleep… he had to know. But he was so tired already... He grabbed Yami's arm and looked at him expectantly, hoping for an answer.

"Don't worry about it right now. You're okay, that's all the matters."

"Yami…"

"I'll explain later, I promise. But right now, you need to rest."

"But… I don't wanna…" Seto protested as Yami resumed peppering his face with kisses. It felt good, but he wanted answers, not more endless hours of sleep.

"I know. But you need to. Please…"

Seto tried to think of a valid argument, but his mind was shutting down on him, and he could barely remember what it was that was bothering him in the first place. So instead, he settled for slurring, "You'll stay… 'ere?"

"Of course. Whatever you want," Yami told him as he rhythmically stroked the back of Seto's hand with his thumb. He could hear Mokuba shifting somewhere behind him, probably displeased with the thought of the former Pharaoh stationing himself at Seto's bedside, but he remained silent on the matter. Since Seto wanted Yami by his side, he wasn't going to argue against it.

Satisfied with Yami's response and completely oblivious to everything else going on, Seto smiled slightly and shifted himself close enough to Yami to rest his face against his thigh. Yami automatically reached down to finger the damp strands of brown hair that fell against his leg, and Seto closed his eyes and sighed, falling asleep almost instantly.

Minutes ticked by. Yami continued to stroke Seto's hair, letting the simple task mollify the troubles in his mind. Seto seemed to be okay despite everything that had happened, despite what Yami had done. He was still sick of course, but lucid now. Sane. And not comatose! He didn't call Yami Yugi again, he didn't think he was fighting against Gozaburo or one of his cronies… Yami was relieved. And Mokuba wasn't kicking him out of the room either, probably because of Seto's request… but for right now, he figured that was good enough.

A weight settled on the bed a few feet away, and Yami turned, surprised, thinking that it was Mokuba, but it wasn't. "Noa."

The green-haired teen peered doubtfully at Seto as if he were playing possum, though he couldn't really see much from his vantage point at the foot of the bed. "I guess… he's okay now, right? He woke up. And… he didn't have that crazy look…" he muttered, as if trying to convince himself of it. It was probably going to take him a while to feel safe enough to get within arm's reach of Seto again.

"Yes, though we won't know for certain until he wakes up again. But if I was correct about the role his prescription played – and I'm pretty sure that I was…"

"Yami," Mokuba called out suddenly. He was still standing on the same spot as before, still shuffling his feet on the carpet. Noa and Yami both turned to give him their attention. "I… I…"

"I'm staying by his side until it's time to wake him again," Yami firmly told the stammering teen.

"Huh? Uh, okay… guess that's what he wants."

Yami considered that. Mokuba didn't look mad anymore – really, he just seemed terribly confused – but Yami didn't want him "giving in" just because of what Seto had said. Strange how moments earlier, he had thought the complete opposite… that the only thing that mattered was that he was able to remain by Seto's side. But that was before he'd seen the conflicting emotions in Mokuba's eyes, and suddenly that wasn't enough… "Mokuba, come here."

The black-haired teen ducked his head a little, his bangs swinging down to shadow his eyes, but came forward as asked to sit beside Yami on the bed, pointedly turning away from Noa. He reached down to touch Seto's hand lightly as he struggled for something to say.

Mokuba wasn't ready to apologize yet, clearly. He probably wasn't even ready to talk to either of them. And Yami wasn't sure if there was anything he could say that'd make Mokuba understand why he'd done what he'd done. But it was uncomfortable for all of them to be sitting there with those sorts of expectations poisoning in the air.

"It doesn't matter right now," Yami ended up saying, ending the stalemate. "He pulled through it, that's the important thing."

Mokuba nodded slowly, sliding a glance at Noa, who simply shrugged at him, his expression rather blank. The younger teen sighed inwardly. He had a lot to think about. But Yami was right. At least Seto had come through it okay… At least he didn't have to worry about that anymore.

Feeling tired all of a sudden despite the fact that he too had just woken up a short time ago, Mokuba looked back at Yami, who had settled back against a pillow, obviously in for the long haul. He couldn't bring himself to ask, but at the same time, it seemed too presumptuous for him to just plop himself back on the other side of the bed…

"I'm sure he'd appreciate having you here as well," Yami told him, seeing the unasked question in wide gray eyes. "Noa too…" he deliberately added as Mokuba quickly clambered onto the other side of the bed. Yami didn't want the other teen to feel left out because despite what had happened between him and Mokuba and Seto, he was an integral part of their family as well and deserved to be treated as such.

But it didn't surprise him when Noa shook his head after a moment's consideration. He wasn't comfortable around Seto yet, and now that Seto had regained consciousness, it was only magnifying the issues he had to deal with.

"I… have work I need to finish," Noa explained, going for the obvious out, sounding so much like Seto that Yami couldn't help but wonder what it would take to finally repair the rift between them. But now was not the time to press the issue. Seto didn't even know the truth yet about what had happened. That'd be the first step. Then after that… God, Noa and Seto making amends might almost be the easy part, considering the sort of things Noa had said about Seto to Mokuba, and the cruel, cutting remarks Mokuba had threw out in return… Would they be able to forgive one another for having done that? Noa maybe, but Mokuba… Yami knew Mokuba could hold a grudge forever if it concerned his big brother…

Yami nearly groaned aloud. He was getting ahead of himself and giving himself a headache. _One step at a time,_ he told himself, watching as Mokuba burrowed himself back into bed. He was exhausted thanks to his sleepless night; maybe Mokuba had the right idea.

Yami held an arm out, offering Noa a hug before he'd agree to let him go. He wanted Noa to know that he was concerned about him as much as he was about Seto; he wanted to remind him that he was family. "All right."

Noa accepted it, giving Yami a slight smile as they parted. "Thanks," he whispered, grateful that Yami understood and remained willing to stand by him. But his good mood was short-lived when he realized Mokuba still wasn't going to acknowledge him.

Using work as an excuse to get away was cowardly, but Noa suddenly couldn't stand being in the room a second longer. He spun on his heel and left in such a rush that he didn't even notice Mokuba gazing surreptitiously in his direction…

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes:  
- I realized somewhat after the fact that despite everything that had happened, Yugi was conspicuously absent. And admittedly I have a hard time writing Yugi; I often forget about him. But I'd think that Yami, who has been trying to be the pillar of strength for the Kaibas, would be pretty desperate for someone to talk to by this point, though I didn't intend originally for Yugi to come so close to echoing what Yami told Noa last chapter. But it does actually make sense if you think about it because Yami and Yugi would be on the same wavelength, and since Yami sucks at taking his own advice, he'd need Yugi to bounce it back at him to make him believe it.  
- Mokuba's hospital flashback was something I'd had in my head for months, but I never bothered writing it since it had no home (I have no desire to go that far back in the storyline… I don't write chronologically, but that's too much of a jump even for me). But I liked the imagery of Seto stubbornly standing guard in Noa's room while wistfully gazing across the hospital hallway, as if he could see Yami through the wall, so it kinda stuck in my head. Then as I was starting to work on this chapter, I happened to mention it to Nenya, and she thought it could actually find a home here, so I put it down on "paper" and… it fit.


	7. Ch 7: Cutthroat Puppets

Disclaimer: Virus Buster Serge is the creation of Masami Obari. Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**The Cost of Doing Business**

**Ch. 7: Cutthroat Puppets**

* * *

The first thing out of Seto's mouth when he was awakened a few hours later was, "Tell me what happened."

Yami and Mokuba both stared at him, a little surprised that he remembered but pleased to hear it as well, for that at least confirmed that he was remaining stable. But that didn't mean they were looking forward to explaining what had happened either…

Mokuba slanted a glance at the crimson-eyed man standing across the bed from him. "You get to tell him," he said forcefully, crossing his arms over his chest. He wanted Yami admit to what he had done, wanted Seto to hear it straight from the source… and too, he was curious what sort of excuses Yami would offer to explain his actions. After all, they really hadn't talked since Yami Mind Crushed Seto…

Yami gave a slow nod as he sat down on the edge of the bed. He'd been thinking along the same lines as Mokuba, and was glad the teen had decided to give him the opportunity to tell his side of the story, though he was under no illusions that things would get resolved that easily. Even though Seto had come through his ordeal okay, Mokuba was still very upset. Not that this was the first time Mokuba had gotten mad at him, but in the past he'd always forgiven him once his brother had recovered...

It was different this time though; Mokuba's expectations were different now. Back before Seto and Yami had become lovers, back before they were even friends… it had been easier to excuse the things Yami had done to Seto. They had started off as enemies – the fact that they had tried to kill one another was par for the course. And Mokuba hadn't honestly expected anything better when they had progressed to being rivals. After all, rivals could play just as dirty, though their interest had switched to besting one another instead of flat out killing each other. But then they'd become allies… and friends. And the way Yugi and the others always went on about friendship, like it was most important thing in the whole world, Mokuba had to figure that it was a big deal to Yami, too. After that, it had almost seemed logical that they'd end up being lovers, as if they'd been traveling the whole spectrum of relationships just to discover that all they had really wanted was to be together.

Not that Mokuba had a lot of experience with how romantic relationships worked, but he had figured that it was reasonable to expect that Yami would take care of Seto no matter what, that Yami always had Seto's best interests in mind. That's why he had actively encouraged them during the early part of their relationship. That's why he had even stuck by Yami's side during the worst of the arguments between the two. And that's why he now felt betrayed, not just for Seto, but for himself as well.

But Yami knew… Seto would understand why he had done what he had done. He'd wholeheartedly approve, because he would have done the same had the situation been reversed. Yami was completely confident of that. And it was that confidence that carried him, that got him to look Seto straight in the eye, as he began to speak.

"I think you had a bad reaction to one of your prescriptions. You've been hallucinating the last few days…"

Seto looked stunned, as if he'd been slapped. Clearly that wasn't the sort of thing he was expecting to hear. "What was I hallucinating?" he asked cautiously after a slight pause.

"It doesn't matter. It wasn't your fault, Nii-sama," Mokuba instantly interjected.

Although grateful for his little brother's support, what Seto wanted even more was to know the truth. Had he said something or done something inappropriate? He turned and looked at Yami expectantly, steeling himself for the worst. "Tell me."

The former Pharaoh nodded. "You were yelling at Gozaburo mostly, fighting against him and his bodyguards. There didn't seem to be much that we could do other than to keep an eye on you so you wouldn't accidentally hurt yourself from thrashing around."

"Gozaburo…" Seto felt a sudden flush of shame. He used to have awful, _loud_ nightmares about his adoptive father, ones that would violently wake him from whatever scant sleep he was allowed to get, though Gozaburo had gradually beaten it into him that they were an unacceptable sign of weakness. Not that that had stopped the nightmares of course… Seto had learned to cut off his screams instead. Or at least that was something he had _used _to be able to swallow down, since it was obvious he hadn't been able to restrain himself this time, and in Yami's presence no less!

He wasn't proud of the weakness he had shown. Even thinking about it felt like handing power over to Gozaburo again, and that was something he could not tolerate. That was why he had never revealed the lovely, sordid details of his upbringing to Yami, so how could the younger man be so sure that what he had witnessed was… "How'd you know what I was…"

Mokuba jumped in with the explanation. "I had to tell him, especially after you got him and Yugi confused. I didn't want him and Noa to think you were going crazy. I'm sorry."

The young CEO blinked. Noa knew too? Oh great, even better. He'd have to worry about that later though, since the green-haired teen was nowhere to be seen. And frankly, he didn't want to talk about it anymore, not with anyone. Maybe they would just forget about what they'd seen if he refused to talk about it. But as far as the other thing Mokuba had mentioned… "I confused Yami and Yugi? Why was Yugi here?"

Yami lightly touched his boyfriend's hand. "He wasn't. You thought I was Yugi. But I think it was more that you had another flashback, because at one point you conceded that I was the 'other' Yugi."

"I…"

"Don't apologize. We've already been through this, even if you don't remember. I'm not mad."

Yami might've not been angry, but that didn't stop Seto from shaking his head in disgust, even though the movement made his head spin. Medication or no, he couldn't believe that anything would impair him so badly that he wouldn't be able to recognize his own boyfriend. But there was something in Yami's eyes that told him that that wasn't the worst of it, not that he could imagine how anything could be more unforgivable than mistaking him for someone else. "… There's something more, isn't there?"

"You had another hallucination where you thought we were back in Noa's virtual world, and you attacked him."

"I…" Seto swallowed hard, his throat remaining dry despite his efforts. "Is he okay?" he asked, feeling a bit stupid as soon as the words were out of his mouth. He'd seen Noa standing around earlier and was pretty certain that that hadn't been a dream, and Yami hadn't worded it like, "You injured him severely" or anything, so at least he knew he was _physically _okay. But now that he thought about it, Noa had been standing several yards away from the bed, a wary expression on his face. Seto grimaced. What had he done?

"Physically, he'll heal quickly enough," Yami sighed, trusting that Seto would catch what was he leaving unsaid. "It could've been much worse if I hadn't stopped you. I had to resort to using my Shadow Magic. We couldn't get through to you at all."

The guilt coloring Yami's voice told Seto all he needed to know. Now he understood why he'd felt off - even moreso than he had been lately - when he had woken up that morning, and why Yami had been camped out on the other side of the master suite while Mokuba had been lying by his side. That explained why Noa had been assessing him like he was a rabid dog earlier on, and why Mokuba was still glaring holes through Yami.

Seto coughed weakly, pulling Mokuba's attention back on him. The simmering anger in the teen's gray eyes died down immediately, replaced by concern. Seto gave him a shaky smile, then tilted his head towards Yami. "Thank you. You did the right thing."

The brunette was pleased to see Yami nodding in acknowledgement, relief softening the intense crimson of his eyes, but Mokuba looked confused, and that in turn perplexed Seto. Why was it so hard for him to understand? Had something else happened? "Mokuba, what is it?"

"But he… but you… you're sick, and he… he Mind Crushed you. He practically put you into another coma. How can that be 'the right thing?' How can you thank him for it?"

Seto sighed to himself. He could feel himself beginning to fade, but there was no way he could go back to sleep with so much unresolved between them. And he knew he was probably the only person the black-haired teen would listen to at the moment. "Mokuba… we need to talk."

Yami smiled slightly in approval, though he knew fixing things wouldn't be so simple. But it was a start. "I'll be outside then," he told his lover, kissing him on the forehead before standing up and padding out the door.

After hearing the door click closed, Mokuba exhaled and turned back towards his brother, cocking his head in concern when he saw the wan look on Seto's face. "You look pretty tired. We can talk later."

"No, Mokuba."

Seeing the determination in his brother's eyes, Mokuba immediately relented. It'd do them no good to argue about it… Seto was too damn stubborn. And all that arguing would accomplish would be wearing him down even more. "All right…"

A few moments passed in silence as the young billionaire struggled to think of the best way to explain why he approved of Yami's actions. He needed Mokuba to understand and to accept what Yami had done… that was important to him. It wasn't good enough to have Mokuba pretending things were okay just because he wanted to make Seto happy. That wouldn't be enough to pull them back together as a family.

"The most important thing to me… is that you're happy and safe. Noa too, because he's part of our family now, and I don't shirk my responsibilities. Yami knows that, and feels the same." Blue eyes focused sharply on the grim faced teen. "He did exactly as I expected of him. I would not have forgiven him if he had stood by and done nothing to protect Noa."

"But what about Yami's responsibilities to you?"

"He restrained himself. I certainly didn't expect that. Since when has he ever held back? He knows I can take it," he replied, almost more to himself than to Mokuba.

The teen nearly rolled his eyes. His brother was lucky to be conscious considering all that had happened… and he was wondering why Yami hadn't blasted him _harder_?! "Nii-sama…!"

Seto waved off his alarm. "My point is, I'm not mad at him."

"You should be!"

"But I'm not. He did the right thing for the right reason. If anything, I'm grateful."

"So you're mad at me instead?"

"Of course not. I'm just… concerned. You can't stay mad at him, Mokuba. What good will that do?"

Mokuba crossed his arms, holding them tightly against his chest. "I dunno."

Seto sighed. His head hurt, and he was starting to feel a bit frustrated. While Mokuba would always be first and foremost in his heart, he could no longer pretend that Yami's needs and desires didn't matter. Once upon a time he would've simply broken up with Yami if Mokuba had become upset for any reason with the crimson-eyed man; he would've silently swallowed whatever damage he had dealt to Yami's heart and burdened his own with it until it festered and devoured him from within. But that was no longer a viable solution. It was hard truth to confront: he felt like a traitor for even thinking about giving consideration to anyone outside of Mokuba, but Yami deserved it.

And too, although he had never been good at admonishing his brother, Mokuba was simply wrong in this case. Yami was not to blame for what had happened, and Seto needed Mokuba to understand that, even if it meant having to put his feelings on the table.

"Mokuba… It's not an easy thing for me to trust people, other than you. But I trust Yami, and he upheld my faith in him by putting Noa's needs – and yours – above my own. Above his own. If anything, what he did was proof of… just how much he loves us. That's why… I love him, too," he finished in a hoarse whisper.

Mokuba's mouth opened slightly, but no sound came out. He racked his brain for something to say. When was the last time his brother had expressed his feelings for Yami? Or for anyone, for that matter? _I mean, I always knew that's how he felt – everyone knows it – but he… he's never said…_

Seto reached out to lightly touch his brother's wrist, a hint of uncertainty mixed in with the weariness in his eyes. He wasn't sure if Mokuba understood his explanation, or if he was still too wrapped up in his anger to see that Yami had acted out of a need to protect, not to punish.

"You really… I thought you'd be mad at him. I thought you'd feel like he betrayed you. I mean, I…" The teen faltered as some of the thoughts tumbling around in his head finally collided and began to congeal. _He loves him. Is it really that simple?… _"Even if he hadn't given you a reason for what he did, you'd still believe in him, wouldn't you?"

"Always," Seto said with soft confidence before closing his eyes. Damn, he was spent. But he didn't want to give in to sleep yet, worried that maybe he still hadn't said enough to make Mokuba start to rethink te situation. It was about more than just the way the felt about Yami…

The black-haired teen continued to mull things over a minute longer, during which Seto nearly drifted off to sleep despite his efforts, before breaking the silence with a whispered "Nii-sama?"

"… Uhh?"

"You think you can manage to stay awake a minute longer?"

"Mm… hmm…" Actually he didn't want to sleep at all. He wanted to talk to Yami… there were a lot of things on his mind. But he was just too tired for it.

"I think he'd like to spend some time with you, even if you're asleep. I bet you'd like that too."

It was a relief to hear that, even though he wasn't stupid or sleepy enough to think that things would be "all better" between Mokuba and Yami by the time he next awoke. But at least his little brother was making the effort. "Mm…"

Mokuba smiled, though he knew Seto wouldn't see it, then shifted a little on the edge of the bed before lifting his weight from the mattress. "He should be just outside. I'll go and get him."

It seemed that only a second had passed before another weight, this one more slight, settled beside him. It had to be Yami then, and Mokuba must've been feeling at least a little better about things, for he had sent the crimson-eyed man in alone.

After he had tugged the sheets up over the both of them, Yami whispered a greeting though he didn't really expect a response. His lover was pretty much out of it. All he really wanted was to make sure Seto got the rest he needed, especially since Mokuba had entrusted him with that duty. Seto's body was still giving off heat like an oven, but it was hard to tell if he actually felt hot or cold, so Yami figured he'd err on the side of cold and let Seto kick the blankets off if he didn't like it.

But the young billionaire wasn't actually asleep yet. He was just at that point where dreams and reality started to merge and meld, where it became impossible for him to discern whether he was actually awake or merely dreaming that he was awake. On some level he knew Yami was there and he took what comfort he could from it, for although he had never admitted it to his boyfriend, his presence had done a lot to stave off random nightmares over the past few years. But even Yami's presence wasn't enough to keep this nightmare at bay.

It felt like he was seeing things through a fog, like watching some grainy old horror movie on a broken down TV set. Or… not quite a movie, more like a video game or something. One of those horror games where you just knew that the seemingly quaint town you were in held some terrible secret, except there was no controller in his hands and even if there were, he felt like he didn't have any control of the situation anyway.

He was standing in front of the Kaiba mansion, but it didn't look quite right. For one, the fog had become thicker, suffocating the grounds of the estate with a pillowy layer of grayish foam. And more alarmingly, the cars in the driveway weren't his, and there were a ton of household staff milling about, their faces obscured by the omnipresent mist, when he knew they shouldn't have been there at all. Determined to find out what was going on, he managed to take a single step forward before his foot connected with something soft and fleshy…

A body had suddenly appeared on the ground in front of him. All he could see was the back and a pair of sock clad feet and a few wisps of hair ruffled by a clichéd breeze, but he immediately knew who it was even without seeing the face. After all, how many other people did he know with hair that shade of blue tinged green?

He wasn't sure if Noa was alive or dead. He wasn't moving at all. Seto tried to kneel down to check on him, but a hand suddenly materialized on his shoulder, heavy and oppressive. He didn't like it. The fingers were digging painfully hard into his skin and muscles, causing him to wince.

"Let go," he finally snarled, after having failed to twist out of the other person's impossibly tight grasp.

"You've forgotten your manners boy, if you think you can order me around," came the haughty response, and Seto froze. There was no mistaking that voice. _Gozaburo._ But the bastard was dead. He'd seen him go out that window. So… this had to be a dream then… right?

For a moment, everything became indistinct and fuzzy as that realization was enough to pull Seto out of his nightmare temporarily, but then Gozaburo's voice cut through the fog and drew Seto back in like a leash on a dog.

"You really think you're better than me, don't you?" the older man sneered. He spun Seto around, cuffing him roughly before suddenly reaching down to grab his wrists and thrust his hands towards his face. "But just look at what _you've_ done!"

Seto's fingers were warm and sticky with blood… his clothes were stained with it. He hadn't meant to do it. He didn't even remember doing it. But the proof was right there in front of him.

_I… killed him… _

It was strange. He knew he ought to be completely horrified. But instead he was starting to feel numb, like he'd seen it all before.

He shut his eyes, as if that would somehow clear things up. And for a moment, it seemed to have worked. When he had opened them again, the mansion and grounds and even Noa's body had all but disappeared into the encroaching darkness. For a heartbeat or two he even felt a little relieved because as long as he was alone he figured he couldn't hurt anyone else, but then he heard a different voice taunt, "So who'll be your next victim, murderer?"

The voice was all too familiar, but it was impossible. It couldn't be…

He spun around to face his accuser, his breath catching in his throat when his eyes confirmed what his ears had told him: he was facing off against a younger version of himself.

His doppelganger smirked, his crisp white uniform – just like the one Seto had worn during Death-T – nearly glowing in the darkness. It made him look like an avenging angel… or an unholy specter. "Don't be so surprised. I am a part of you after all."

"Like hell you are! Go fuck yourself."

"Now now, Seto…_ Baby…_ is that anyway to speak to yourself? Besides, you should be grateful to me. Look at everything I've done for you. Hell, I've even brought you a present." The doppelganger reached behind his back, and suddenly lobbed something at Seto. "Catch!"

The thing hit Seto's hands with a sticky thud, and as soon as he realized what it was, he dropped it, taking a step back in disgust as it hit the ground and rolled away, leaving a scarlet trail in its wake. Gozaburo… or what was left of him at least. Apparently his doppelganger had gotten to the old bastard and lopped off his head before he'd been able to find another window to toss himself out of.

The doppelganger laughed, taking a few long strides forward to kick Gozaburo's head out of his way like one would a soccer ball, then slid over towards Seto to circle him like a predatory cat waiting for the right moment to strike. Seto wouldn't normally have tolerated such a thing from _anyone_, but he suddenly found himself unable to move, unable to even make a sound of disgust or protest.

"Why fight it? This is who you are," the doppelganger whispered into Seto's ear, his voice low, his breath groping its way down Seto's cheek. Then he reached out a hand, trailing it over the back of Seto's neck in what felt like a teasing caress before slowly closing his fingers, one by one, around Seto's throat. "I am you," he cooed as he began squeezing, his eyes lighting up with malicious glee. "And once you're gone, maybe I'll take care of Mokuba next…"

Seto suddenly jerked awake, the muscles in his chest spasming as he gasped desperately for air, sweat dripping off his forehead from more than just his illness. For an instant, all he could see were Yami's wide crimson eyes inches away from his face, and he desperately latched onto that familiar sight in the most literal way possible, grabbing Yami by the hair to hold his head in place.

Startled, the former Pharaoh instinctively pulled back and was immediately greeted by several small spikes of pain zipping through his scalp. Seto was holding onto him as if his life depended on it. Unable to pull himself free and unwilling to resort to the use of force, Yami decided to just hold as still as possible while whispering reassurances to Seto. He tried to tell himself not to worry too much about it… At least it wasn't like before where Seto would look in his direction and not know who he was. At least this time there was recognition in his eyes, even if it was mixed in with thinly veiled panic.

Gradually Seto's frantic gasping slowed and quieted, and his eyes began to lose that haunted look. His fingers relaxed enough for Yami to slip free, though the younger man made no move to pull away. Instead, he carefully lay himself back down beside Seto, curling up loosely against his side while lightly, repetitively stroking whatever he could reach - shoulders and chest, neck, cheek…

Seto eventually closed his eyes, and Yami held some hope that he'd just go back to sleep, but then the brunette's raspy voice broke the comfortable silence. "Why did you hold back?"

"Huh?"

"When you Mind Crushed me. You've never held back before," Seto mumbled, his eyes still closed.

Yami's brow furrowed. Wasn't the answer obvious? "Uh, because I didn't want to do it in the first place…?"

"I was out of control. And you saw what I did." Blue eyes opened again and focused sharply on Yami. The bruised haze that had clouded them moments before was gone, replaced by the usual brittle frost that Seto wore for the public. The crimson-eyed man reflexively sucked in a breath, steeling himself for whatever Seto was going to say next since it was clear he wasn't at all satisfied with Yami's answer. "You should've been mad enough to finish me off completely. Why didn't you?"

"Nothing could make me angry enough to want to hurt you again. Especially considering the circumstances… You were sick and confused. You didn't do it deliberately. I sure as hell wasn't going to punish you just because you had a bad reaction to some drugs."

"What does it matter if I did it on purpose or not? I could have killed him," Seto muttered bitterly.

"But you didn't…"

"God damn it, what's wrong with you?! You held back because you felt sorry for me because I'm sick? You think that makes any difference to Noa? You think that excuses it?" Seto exploded.

Yami instantly volleyed back. "Of course it makes a difference! You didn't mean to hurt him, and that's not an excuse, it's an explanation! So stop asking me to punish you, because I won't do it! And I'm not going to let you do it to yourself either. It won't change anything… and won't make anything better."

"Stop trying to sugarcoat it! All your 'explanations' don't change the facts. I hurt him, period." Then with extra malice Seto snidely added, "If a rabid dog ever attacks you, I hope you don't bother trying to reason with it… it just needs to be put down!"

Yami let out a hiss, like a kettle in danger of boiling over. He couldn't believe how angry and frustrated he was getting when just a few minutes earlier all he had wanted was to help Seto settle down after an apparent nightmare and… and…

It was as if someone had suddenly thrown a bucket of cold water in the ex-spirit's face, forcing him to mentally step back from the escalating fight and shocking him into clarity at the same time.

_What happened in his nightmare? _Yami almost felt stupid for not asking himself that earlier. Although Seto had barely made a sound the entire time, he had been tense and trembling while he'd been asleep, and the expression on his face when he had finally been startled awake had been like that of a terrified child. Clearly something had disturbed him enough to unsettle him completely and unleash his rage and anger, because that was the only way he knew to cope with losing control.

It had always been easier to be ignorant and pretend that things were okay because none of them wanted to dwell on the darker things that lay behind them. Yami knew that was true even for him… he wasn't proud of the things he had done when he had first emerged from the Puzzle. So he couldn't blame Seto for not wanting to talk about his time at the orphanage or his years under Gozaburo's heel. That's why he had never asked to talk about those things.

But ignoring the past wasn't going to make it go away… it only gave their problems time to fester like some sort of infection, bubbling closer and closer to the surface until they spilled over, tainting everything within reach. And Seto was right… he wasn't in the habit of holding back where his lover was concerned, so why was he choosing to start now?

"Seto, what's going on? This is about more than just what happened with Noa, isn't it?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You weren't this angry earlier..."

"Hmph. Maybe I just needed some time to think about what I'd done."

"Or maybe you had a nightmare, one that was bad enough to really set you off."

Seto was stunned into silence for a moment, then his eyes narrowed. "You said you'd never invade my privacy!"

Yami shook his head. "I didn't. I wouldn't ever do that to you. But I know you well enough that I don't need our link to tell me that whatever you dreamt about bothered you a lot."

Seto snorted, as if he hadn't even considered that possibility. But it didn't lessen his anger any. "You make it sound like I'm some little kid who needs to be coddled! I'm not! I know the difference between a dream and reality."

"That may be true, but when you're caught in the midst of a nightmare… when your pulse is racing and you're gasping for breath, is it always so easy to tell the difference?" Yami countered. Then he sighed. He wondered how many of Seto's nightmares he'd slept through throughout the years. Considering how adamant the older duelist was in denying his need, he was probably in fact desperate for some sort of reassurance, some sort of confirmation that this wasn't just a lull in a never-ending nightmare. If nothing else, Seto was very predictable that way – the more he wanted something, the harder he fought against it. That way he couldn't be disappointed when what he hoped for didn't happen.

For a good minute, Seto sat silently brooding, perhaps mulling over the same sorts of things Yami was pondering, then he blurted out, "I don't want to talk about it."

Yami nodded. That was exactly what he expected him to say. "If that's your decision, then I'll respect it. But you might feel better if you let go, just a little…"

"Why? So you can feel sorry for me? You think just because Mokuba thought it was a good idea to tell you all about the fun I had with Gozaburo that I'm obligated to do the same?"

"Is that what your nightmare was about?"

"You tell me. I bet you think you know everything about that bastard now."

"No. I'm sure there were things that happened that even Mokuba isn't aware of."

"Shouldn't you be worrying about what I did to Noa, instead of what Gozaburo may have done to me?"

Yami slowly shook his head. Seto was trying to redirect the discussion into relatively "safer" waters. But Yami refused to be so easily distracted. "We do need to talk about that, in a little bit. But you're not in the right frame of mind for that right now, and Noa deserves nothing less than your full attention," he said truthfully.

"Hn."

"Besides… I think if there's going to be any chance of the two of you patching things up, we'll have to work on you first. After all, you're the adult, and I think he's so uncertain about everything right now that he wouldn't know how broach the subject with you. Think about this logically… if you can't even talk to me about the things that are currently upsetting you, how do you expect to do something like bridge the gap with Noa?"

"What are you, my therapist? What the fuck do you expect from me? Should we hold hands and cry and talk about our feelings? Next you'll be suggesting that we hold a séance so I can 'resolve my issues' by telling that bastard Gozaburo exactly what I think of him," Seto snarled bitterly, spitting out the words as if they were poisonous.

"Don't misunderstand me… I'm not saying you should forgive your adoptive father for the things he did to you." Yami's voice dropped a little. "He had no right to treat you so badly. You didn't deserve it. But you can't spend the rest of your life fighting his ghost either, because that's one fight you can't win. When we were dueling at Alcatraz, I told you to look beyond your anger and hatred because it was holding you back. In a way, it still is."

"I remember what you said back then. Did you think I forgot? And I tried my best. But it wasn't enough. Maybe Gozaburo was right about me – I'm no better than he was. Maybe that's why he chose me to be his heir." He swallowed hard. He could still hear his doppelganger's whispered words in his ears, still see Noa's blood staining his hands… "I don't know why I ever thought I could be anything more."

"Seto…"

The brunette shook his head angrily. He must've been getting tired though, because he suddenly admitted, "If I could forget about the past, then maybe I could 'get over it.' But I can't. It's not that simple. I'm reminded of Gozaburo's legacy everyday… You know there's still people who email Kaiba Corp. to inquire about obtaining our warfare technology, or to tell us that their kid was out playing in a field that happened to be laced with old Kaiba Corp. mines? Those were planted before I was even born, and yet, I inherited the problem." A sneer twisted Seto's lips. "Maybe the company's default email response should be, 'To Whom It May Concern: Sorry to hear about your son, but if you could just look beyond your anger and hatred…'"

Despite his exhaustion, Seto was still looking for a fight, pushing with the expectation that Yami would eventually push back, either in anger or frustration. But that wasn't going to happen; Yami wasn't going to take the bait now that he understood. It wasn't just Gozaburo that Seto was fighting but himself as well, or more accurately… the twisted teen that he had once been. Gozaburo's heir, modeled in his own image, whom Yami had shattered so many years ago… but still haunted Seto like a wraith…

"Seto… I know you've tried. That's why I respect you so much, because you refuse to be a victim. But your fight with Gozaburo is over; he's gone. And it's futile to fight with a dead man… all that will do is pull you into the grave that he had dug for himself. But that doesn't mean the shadow he cast isn't still there. If you must have an enemy, then that's the true evil you ought to be fighting."

"But it doesn't mean a damn thing if I don't succeed, if I can't destroy it. Just like my hatred… how am I supposed to destroy something that's been branded into the core of my being without shattering again?"

"Not everything can be destroyed. Not all battles have an end. Sometimes all you can do is stay in the fight. Because if you stop trying, that's when you truly lose. And as far as your hatred and anger… while I wanted you to see what lay beyond them, I never intended for you to wipe them out completely. They're a part of you, your shield and your sword. They're what enabled you to survive." Yami sighed. "But isn't it tiring to always be fighting, to always have to struggle, especially when it feels like it's just you against the world? I've told you many times, it isn't a weakness to trust in others, to open up to them. I won't betray you; you know that. I love you, Baby."

Seto's eyes fluttered shut for a moment – whether from exhaustion or disbelief or a little of both, Yami wasn't quite sure – before opening slightly to look over Yami once more, as if trying to gauge the depth and breadth of the sincerity of his words. "Why do you insist on calling me that?" he finally asked.

Yami cocked his head. It seemed an odd tangent and an even stranger question since they both knew it was just a silly sign of affection, but Seto looked like he really needed to hear the answer. "I like having something special to call you that's just between you and me. Something that only I have the privilege of using. I don't do it to bother you. I thought maybe you even kinda liked it."

"I guess… I don't mind it if you're the one saying it."

"Who else said it?" Yami asked, a hint of possessiveness coloring his voice.

"No one. Nothing. I just… never mind." Abruptly, Seto rolled over on the bed before muttering in a quiet voice, "I'm not stupid; I know it wasn't real."

Yami considered that, then decided it wasn't worth getting into another fight just to squeeze some clarification out of Seto. His boyfriend undoubtedly had a lot on his mind… a lot of things that he had to think about and consider, so it was only fair to back off a little so that he'd have the time he needed to let it all sink in. But backing off wasn't the same as walking away either… He recognized that Seto was feeling a little insecure, that he was still haunted by whatever he'd seen in his nightmare. And he didn't want his lover to think he'd ever have to face another nightmare alone.

He gently placed one hand on Seto's shoulder and slipped the other one over Seto's curled up fingers. Seconds ticked by. Seto didn't say anything, didn't even move a muscle at first… but then slowly he relaxed his hand and let Yami's fingers slip between his before closing his hand back around them.

Yami slid under the sheets behind him, obviously planning on staying for the long haul. Seto sighed, but didn't pull away. He was very tired, too tired to stay awake simply to avoid his nightmares. Maybe Yami's presence wouldn't be enough once again. Maybe he was stupid or weak for relying on it. But Yami wanted him to believe in him, so he would try, and hope that maybe it'd be enough to at least take the edge off of the worst of it.

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes:  
- Re: the nightmare scene. Dunno how it worked its way into the story as it was completely unplanned (in fact, the entire second half of this chapter was unplanned), but once it was there it didn't want to leave, no matter how much I tried to write it out of the fic. And I guess it does make sense that Seto would have a nightmare because he's been losing control of everything - his body, due to his illness, his mind, due to the medication - and that's probably something that bothers and upsets him more than anything, especially since he fears his own destructive potential. The visuals in the nightmare itself are inspired by a few different things: Rapan doujinshi "Soft Scars," which has a great shot of a blooddrenched Seto holding what looks to be Gozaburo's severed head (scan is on my site), Resolution doujinshi "Darkness Peeping," where Seto has a nightmare and sees a younger version of himself who tries to strangle him, and the video game series Silent Hill, which provided the ambiance (and was the source of the "quaint little town" comment as well).  
- Obviously been reading the mangas as of late, which is what made me think about the comments Yami makes at Alcatraz when he tells Seto that he can't reach his future by piling hate and anger on top of each other. And in some ways I think Seto really took that to heart (more in the manga than the anime) and tries to rise up to Yami's challenge, but at the same time I don't think it was ever Yami's intent for Seto to go, "Oh, okay," instantly forget everything he's had drummed into him from his past, and turn into a happy little chipmunk. So I was trying to reach a happy, hopefully more realistic medium here.  
– As usual, thanks to Nenya for putting up with me and for telling me that this doesn't sound like it was written blindly in three separate sections. Readers, please keep reviewing and let me know what you think!


	8. Ch 8: Blend the Strength

Disclaimer: Virus Buster Serge is the creation of Masami Obari. Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**The Cost of Doing Business**

**Ch. 8: Blend the Strength**

* * *

Seto vaguely remembered drifting off to sleep with Yami pressed against his back, then some time later, waking for a minute before falling asleep again, only to be woken up to take his medication before being told to sleep again. It was a tedious, endless cycle, punctuated by coughing fits and chest pain, dizziness and cold sweat, and complete disorientation. At some point – and he wasn't even sure whether it had been day or night or if he'd even been fully awake when it had occurred to him – he thought that maybe he was getting worse. He needed to go take care of things at his company; there was a lot to do and he couldn't afford to get worse. But when he tried asking Mokuba about it during one of his more lucid moments, his little brother assured him that his fever was actually going down, so why was he feeling crappier than ever?

He awoke on his own some time in the early morning feeling like he'd been run over by a freight train that had backed up and run over him again for good measure. He was sore all over, and the bed seemed too hard and the sheets too damp for comfort. He wanted to complain about it to whoever was convenient, but Yami was totally zonked out on a chair next to the bed, a plaid throw blanket sliding off his legs and his hair in spiky disarray, and Seto decided he'd rather not wake him. He wondered why his boyfriend wasn't in bed with him, but at the same time he was a little thankful for it, because he felt way too hot to want to be close to anyone, and Yami was too much like an electric blanket at times.

With a soft sigh, the brunette rolled over, trying to find a spot that was comfortable enough to let him go back to sleep or at the very least, rest comfortably, but it was an exercise in futility. He was just too restless. He threw off the blankets and tossed and turned for several minutes before a something other than the protesting creak of the mattress caught his attention.

"… Mm… Seto?"

Great, he had somehow managed to wake Yami too. He held as still as possible, faking sleep in the hopes that maybe Yami would take the hint and go back to sleep himself, but no such luck. A hand lightly touched his shoulder, then his neck and cheek, and a tired voice sighed and yawned before mumbling, "Your fever hasn't gotten any worse... but you still seem to be sweating a lot."

"Thanks; I hadn't noticed," Seto responded sourly, rolling over again as he wondered what it'd take for him to convince Yami to dump him in a cold bath and change the bedsheets.

Yami gave him a slight smile. They were minimally mind linked at the moment, but Seto's desires were strong enough for Yami to easily pick up on. "I'll go run a bath if you feel up to it." There was a momentary pause, then he added, "You probably don't remember it, but you've been kinda out of it the last two days."

_Two days?_ He had thought maybe it was Sunday morning, but… "It's Monday?"

"Tuesday, Baby." Another yawn. "I didn't count Saturday since you were pretty coherent then."

The taller man swallowed. Considering his track record, he couldn't help but worry about what might have happened, what he might've done, in the interim. "I didn't… haven't done anything else, have I?"

Much to Seto's relief, Yami shook his head. "Nope. And we didn't have a problem waking you to get you to take your pills or anything either, but you were really unfocused the entire time and would usually go right back to sleep without saying a word."

"… But Mokuba said I wasn't getting worse! And you just said…"

Using the back of his hand, Yami lightly touched his lover's cheek again before offering a shrug. "I guess you needed the rest, that's all."

Seto grunted, then began pushing himself up into a sitting position. He didn't want to lie there anymore. He wanted a bath. And clean sheets. Yami slid out of his way, though he remained close enough to lend his lover a hand if he needed it.

Grumbling under his breath about the fact that he needed his boyfriend trailing behind him like a shadow, Seto managed to gather enough strength to shuffle over to the large whirlpool tub in the center of the bathroom, though he was pretty much out of steam after that. After setting himself down on one of the molded seats, he watched dazedly as Yami started filling the basin with water.

"Will you be okay sitting here while I go change the sheets?" Yami asked when the water finally reached a decent level.

Seto just shut his eyes and leaned back. He was already feeling a little better, a little more alert. "Don't worry, I'm not going to drown."

Yami just shook his head. "I'll check on you intermittently then. Is the water temperature good, or do you want it hotter?"

Hotter? Wasn't he sweating enough already? "Nah."

So while the ex-spirit went about switching out the sheets, Seto tried to relax in hopes that his muscles would loosen up a bit. Soaking in the warm water was helping. He even felt well enough to lightly shampoo and rinse out his hair, which was a real luxury since he'd been stuck with sponge baths and no rinse shampoo since he'd fallen ill.

But just as soon as he had begun convincing himself that maybe he really was better, he noticed that he was beginning to shiver. The water was still warm – the tub was heated after all, and he could just barely make out the faint hint of steam rising up into the crisp morning air. It just wasn't enough anymore, and he didn't trust himself to adjust the temperature since he'd probably end up accidentally scalding himself in his efforts to keep warm.

Figuring it was time to get out of the tub anyway, he started draining the water then carefully lifted himself out, wrapping a towel around his waist and tossing another over his head while he walked over to the nearest counter to support himself. When he turned towards the mirror out of habit, he was shocked by what he saw.

_Jesus, I look like death warmed over,_ Seto grumbled to himself as he leaned forward slightly to more carefully examine himself. No wonder Mokuba and Yami thought he needed round-the-clock care. His skin was waxy and pale, and his eyes looked too big in their sunken sockets. He had lost so much weight between stressing over the opening of the theme park and having pneumonia that he looked like he was on the losing end of a battle with an eating disorder.

Another towel landed across his shoulders, and Seto turned slowly to see Yami looking up at him in concern. "You okay?" the shorter duelist asked as he began briskly rubbing the towel over his lover's back. Seto was trembling slightly and was beginning to wobble on his feet.

"Kinda… cold," Seto quietly admitted through clenched teeth. He was fighting to keep them from chattering.

Yami nodded, not wasting time with words. With one hand he drew the towel around Seto's shoulders tight against his body, and with the other quickly dried off Seto's hair the best he could before hustling him back to bed.

_At least the sheets are clean, _Seto mused as Yami efficiently got him into some pajamas – fresh ones – and tucked him under the comforter. It should've been more than enough considering that earlier, he couldn't stand having the covers on top of him at all because he felt so damn hot. And it was the middle of summer too. But as ridiculous as it seemed, he was absolutely freezing now, even with his fever, even with Yami arranging extra blankets on top of him.

"I think I left you in the tub too long," Yami murmured as he climbed into bed behind Seto, curling around his lanky form the best he could. The brunette was still quite feverish, which seemed contradictory to the fact that he was shivering like he'd been left in a pool of ice water, but that was just part of being sick. So Yami began rubbing Seto all over with his hands, trying to combine friction with body heat to help his boyfriend warm up enough to counteract the chill that had settled into his bones.

"I needed that bath," Seto responded dully once he was able to stop his teeth from chattering. He rolled over to press his face against Yami's neck and chest. He didn't regret it, even if it made him feel like a human ice cube.

Yami half nodded, half nuzzled the damp strands of brown hair under his chin. "Mm. At least it'll help you sleep a bit better, once I get you warmed back up."

"I don't want to sleep. I hate this," Seto mumbled. Then he pulled back just enough to give Yami a slightly pleading look. "Can't you sneak me my laptop for just a few minutes?"

The crimson-eyed man sighed inwardly. They weren't going to go through all that again! "No. And even if you don't feel tired, you still need to rest. Last I checked, working was the opposite of resting."

"Wow, really?" Seto snapped with a roll of his eyes.

Yami felt his mouth settling into a smirk. He obviously wasn't going to win with that argument, which meant he was going to have to think of something to distract Seto and keep him occupied. But at the same time, he liked seeing that spark of indignation in his boyfriend. It meant he was feeling a little more like himself.

"I guess that means sex is out of the question too," Yami pondered aloud, the smirk growing. Obviously it was, but he couldn't help but dangle the carrot a bit just to see what response he'd get.

Seto snorted and butted his head against Yami's chest in displeasure, eliciting a soft "Ooof." Yami patted his lover's head in apology. "Well, if I grab an electric blanket we can go watch some television, or we can play a game of some sort, or we can stay here and I'll grab you something to read."

"I heard the third quarter financials are a real page turner," Seto said dryly, eliciting a chuckle from Yami. Ooh, sarcastic wit! He really was feeling better, at least for the moment.

"How about a nice backrub instead?" Yami offered, trying to steer Seto away from the topic of work.

Seto growled. "I don't want to go to sleep, I already told you."

"I'll make it a bit more vigorous. It'll be good for you. Or I'll simply poke you in the side every minute or so – that'll keep you up."

"Ha ha, real funny." But he rolled over onto his stomach anyway, silently giving Yami the go-ahead.

Seto shivered a little as Yami helped him to unbutton his pajama shirt, then pulled down the sheets, exposing his bare torso. But he didn't get a chance to complain. Almost immediately, Yami's weight had settled across his hips, accompanied by the blankets, and warm hands began sliding over his shoulders and back, as gentle and comforting as a summer breeze.

"Damn it," the young CEO rasped, feeling his eyelids droop as Yami began running his hands up the back of his neck, kneading small circles which grew in circumference as they moved back down the length of his spine. Even though his boyfriend had assured him that he wasn't trying to put him to sleep, Yami's touch was lulling Seto into that sort of weird daydreamy state that he both loved and reviled.

A bittersweet smile touched Yami's lips. He knew Seto appreciated his attention, given that he was unconsciously stretching himself out like a big cat and grunting every time he hit a knot or a sore spot. And Yami found it enjoyable as well, savoring the feel of silken skin and hard muscles, reacquainting himself with every inch of flesh.

But, for once, Yami couldn't help but dwell on the abstract pattern of scars splashed across that milky skin even as his hands automatically continued on with the massage. Most of the marks had been dulled and softened by the passing of the years, like earth eroded by wind and water, but there were several that were still noticeably discolored, puckered and thick and rough around the edges, as if no amount of time could erase them. Gozaburo was dead and had been for years, but in a way, even now, he still existed… a permanent part of Seto's life. Each scar that remained was a reminder of that. They'd likely stay with Seto for the rest of his life.

Yami leaned down, intent on warming one of the scars with his breath, but ended up kissing it lightly instead, feeling the involuntary tic of the muscles beneath his lips. Seto was so very sensitive, like a thin-skinned Thoroughbred. Normally that touchiness was something that Yami found amusing, but considering the direction his thoughts had been wandering in, it only made him angrier instead.

Seto had once told Yami that he enjoyed having his back rubbed because it reminded him of his mother. It had been one of the few comments he'd ever made about his biological parents. It was clearly something that he found comforting, a small slice of heaven that he indulged in. Yami couldn't help but wonder if Gozaburo had figured that out, if he had deliberately marred that tender flesh because he had known it would hurt Seto that much more. Or maybe he was giving Gozaburo too much credit… Because he hadn't won, despite what Seto might have claimed from time to time. If he had, Seto would've never risked leaving his back open to the man who had once been his rival, especially during the early days of their relationship.

Laying back down beside his prone lover, the crimson-eyed man fought to swallow down the rage still burning in his veins. He didn't want to be angry because it was distracting him from what should have been a pleasant task; didn't want to fixate on it because nothing could be done about it now, and no good would come of miring himself in a past that wasn't even his own. And Seto would resent it if he looked at him and saw scars instead of a survivor. But Yami had seen beyond the damage before, and didn't doubt that he'd be able to do so once again, given a bit of time.

He had once challenged Seto to transcend his hatred and rage. He had known it would be a formidable task. After all, he had once been the vengeful shadow that had lashed out to protect Yugi. How ironic that he was now faced with having to overcome his own anger once again…

Inhaling deeply, Yami closed his eyes and wondered about the past, both Seto's and his own. He thought about the nightmares that Seto hadn't wanted to reveal, the past that he hadn't ever wanted to talk about. As much as the ex-spirit's past remained a fog-shrouded enigma, in some ways Seto's had been even more vague and mysterious because it had been right there in front of him, and yet utterly inaccessible at the same time.

A heavy sigh slipped out. He needed to stop dwelling on the negative. Perhaps he ought to try a different approach, to remind both himself and his lover why the past did matter, instead of trying to fight against it...

"What's wrong?" Seto asked, his voice cutting into Yami's thoughts. He lifted his head slightly and turned to face his lover, studying him. Physically he felt a lot better, thanks to Yami; he was still a bit chilly, but it was becoming tolerable at least. But now Yami was the one looking uncomfortable, distracted to the point where he had even stopped rubbing Seto's back. And Seto figured he owed his boyfriend a bit of conversation since he had remained by his side throughout his illness, and… maybe it'd help him stay awake too.

Yami's lips pursed as he considered whether or not he ought to voice what was on his mind. If he was going to do it, it was best to do it now while Seto was relaxed and open to conversation... "Haven't you ever wondered why I stopped chasing after my past?"

Seto rolled one shoulder. "Not really. I just figured you came to your senses."

Yami glared at his lover. Seto rewarded him a slight smirk, the one that said he was just kidding. "I emerged from the Puzzle with no clue who I was, where I came from, or how it was that I came to be in the Puzzle in the first place. I felt disoriented and rootless, not knowing even so much as my own name. Without memories, without a past, I didn't think I had the luxury of thinking about my future, because how could I build a future upon nothing?"

Although Seto didn't respond, he didn't say anything to deter Yami from his choice of topic either, though the past – any of it – was never his favorite topic. What was the point of dwelling upon something that couldn't be changed? But Yami had piqued his curiosity this time; the former Pharaoh had once been very adamant about recovering his lost memories. That was why he had entered the Battle City tournament in the first place. But after the entire Doom fiasco, instead of continuing on to Egypt to pointlessly chase the ghosts of his past, he had returned to Domino instead. And there he remained, a spirit in the Puzzle, seemingly content with who he was and what he had until Shadi had shown up and somehow split him from Yugi. But Seto had never asked about it, thinking he had no right to pry, and so was unsure of what exactly had changed Yami's mind.

"You, on the other hand… you used to say that you didn't care about the past, ancient or modern," Yami continued. "To you, the past was just something to be trampled on, destroyed and discarded. And that was a mistake I didn't want you to make. We've all seen our share of hard times and adversity… those are the chisels that shape who we are, who we'll become. And we've all done things that we're not proud of. But no amount of effort can undo or erase what has already happened, because the past is the foundation for the road to the future."

_Jesus Christ, is he turning this into a lecture? _"Wait… I thought we were talking about _your_ past?"

"I was talking about _our_ past. Aren't the paths behind us are just as intertwined as the ones stretching forward?"

Seto grunted, again declining to comment. Yami obviously wasn't looking for a response anyway, so Seto figured it'd be best to let him continue on with his monologue until he had gotten everything he wanted to say off his chest.

"I cared for you back then, even though I didn't understand it or recognize it for what it was. But you threw my offers of friendship back in my face. You really pissed me off. And yet, those times when I needed it most, you were there." Yami sat up and twisted around to reach for his deck in the nightstand drawer, pulling out a single card. He caressed the smooth surface gently with his thumb. "You entrusted me with this card, the Devil's Sanctuary. You gave me a part of your soul that day, and it protected me. And then later on… when we confronted Dartz, together… you protected me once again, with your very life. I could not turn my back on that."

"You make it sound like you owed me or something…" Seto began to protest, but Yami silenced him with a fingertip against the bow of his lip.

"No, not quite. But you did make me realize that I had to decide for myself what it was that I wanted. And what I wanted to believe was your vision of the future. I wanted to see if it would be as brilliant as you imagined, as brilliant as the light in your eyes. And I wanted to travel along that same road with Yugi, with my friends, and… with you. I wanted to be a part of your future too."

"I do still wonder about what kind of person I was," Yami continued. "But I guess that doesn't matter anymore, not really. Because I remembered enough to know that I've loved you through two lifetimes. And that's more than enough for me."

Seto took a moment to absorb what Yami was saying. It sounded nice, and it would've been much easier to just lay back and accept it all without question, but the young billionaire was beginning to wonder about the timing of Yami's revelation. "Why are you telling me this now?" he asked.

"As little as I remember of my own past, your past has been just as much of a mystery to me. I only know bits and pieces. But now that I think about it, you must've felt the same way about mine, even though I never intended to keep anything from you."

Seto's mouth opened slightly, as if he were uncertain whether or not he ought to say anything in response. After a few seconds, he rolled onto his back instead and began staring up at the ceiling, his harsh breathing the only sound in the otherwise silent void.

Yami took a moment to reverently place the Devil's Sanctuary back on top of his deck, then curled back up against to his boyfriend before resuming his massage, slowly tracing small circles down Seto's arm and along the curve of his ribcage. He was okay with Seto not wanting to talk; at least he had been able to say his piece. And at least Seto hadn't started yelling or jumping out of bed in a rage, though he probably wasn't capable of doing either of those things at the moment anyhow.

Seto was so still that after several minutes, Yami figured he must've fallen asleep, so he was understandably surprised when Seto suddenly began speaking, his voice unusually soft. "I don't really remember my mother. What she looked like, her voice… I had forgotten that she used to stroke my hair and back, but you reminded me that she had done that…"

"That's a nice memory to have."

"… It is," Seto breathed, glancing at Yami out of the corner of his eye. He was almost surprised at his admission, not that he didn't trust Yami of course, but he had never been comfortable with the thought of baring his soul to anyone. And he had thought that uncovering that particular memory, pleasant as it was on the surface, would've only reminded him of loss… But it didn't feel bad like he thought it would. Certainly he felt a lot better about it this time...

Maybe it wasn't a bad thing to take a backward glance once in a while as long as his feet were firmly planted, facing the right way. Maybe it was Yami's presence that made him consider it, because he was there and wanted to understand, because he deserved to know, having left the door closed to his own past in order to embrace Seto's future. Because Yami was the one who had helped him take hold of that lofty, ambitious dream and turned it into something real.

Yami felt his lips contort into a gentle smile. He reached out to stroke Seto's cheek, pleased that the brunette turned his head to follow the movement, then shifted himself slightly so that he was leaning across the pillows at a slight angle before encouraging Seto to rest his head on his chest.

Seto accepted the invitation, pressing himself against Yami's body, clutching at his lover's shoulder, finally sighing contentedly when he felt Yami wrap his arms securely around him in turn. He was starting to feel sluggish and sleepy once again, but for once, he was fighting against it because he wanted to stay up to talk. He was tired of trying to keep secrets from Yami – he deserved better than that. And too, there was the strange sense of relief that came with knowing there was someone other than Mokuba who cared enough to ask the difficult questions, even though Seto was certain to put up a fight over it. Someone who was strong and yet patient enough to give Seto the push he needed when he faltered, who had seen him at his absolute worst and yet still believed in him, who wanted to be by his side, always. "Yami…"

"Shh…" The crimson-eyed man kissed his hair lightly. "While I'm extremely grateful that you want to talk, I know you're getting tired and need to rest. Don't worry, I'll still be here when you wake up."

Seto nodded briefly, the motion causing his cheek to rub against Yami's chest. "I know," he mumbled before closing his eyes to concentrate on the steady heartbeat just below his ear. It was almost hypnotic… and very reassuring. He only half registered it when Yami resettled the comforter around them a minute later, smoothing it down when it wouldn't quite behave, and was on the verge of sleeping by the time the former Pharaoh had begun stroking his back again. The last thing he remembered thinking was how lucky he felt, safe and loved, wrapped in Yami's warm embrace.

* * *

Yami was half nodding off himself when the door to the bedroom opened and Mokuba walked in. Yami waved the teen over as soon as he spotted him, pushing aside the loose papers that lay scattered across the blankets the best he could. For the past two days, while Seto had been out of it, he'd been going over the proposed graphics that Product Development had sent him at his request; it had turned out the pile of papers on Seto's desk had been the tip of the iceberg. And for the past two days, Mokuba had been diligently working on his own projects while pointedly ignoring both Noa and Yami unless it had to do with Kaiba Corp. business - in this case, the bringing over of the multitude of faxes and email attachments that had been marked "Attention Mr. Mutou" - while taking the opportunity to linger by the bed as if checking up on the quality of care Seto was receiving from Yami. Though of course, he'd never admit to that.

It would've probably been easy enough for Mokuba to demand that Yami cede Seto's care to him. But Mokuba had tried to juggle taking care of Seto while taking care of Seto's company before, and he knew that definitely wasn't an ideal setup. And while Noa was taking care of the current big project, game development, and Yami was sorta helping with some of the lesser matters, he wasn't at all qualified to take care of other things at the company. But he was capable of taking care of Seto at least – it wasn't like Yami posed a danger to a sleeping man. Lack of challenge and all that.

Mokuba forced down the doubts closest to the surface before thrusting yet another sheaf of papers at Yami. "Here."

Yami reached out to accept them, quickly shuffling through them to see if there was anything that would require his immediate attention. Thankfully, there was not. "You'll be happy to know, the last time he woke up, he was pretty alert and even managed to carry on a conversation for several minutes," the ex-spirit quietly informed the black-haired teen as he added the new sheets to his existing stack.

Mokuba looked at Seto. His brother was lying with his head pillowed on Yami's stomach, his fingers buried in the fabric of the black undershirt Yami wore. He was still breathing loudly, but that was most likely because of the position he was in; otherwise his body was relaxed and his expression calm. Certainly he seemed okay, though Mokuba would've felt a bit better if Seto were awake to verify that.

"I should have called you in to talk to him, but he wanted to take a bath, and we sorta got distracted after that."

"Distracted?" Mokuba's gray eyes narrowed slightly. What the hell were they doing, playing sex games?! Didn't Yami know better than to do something like that while Seto was sick?

"I gave him a backrub. And we talked a bit… about us, about our past."

That caught Mokuba's attention. He took a half step towards the bed, his expression changing from hostile to somewhat subdued. "… The past?" he whispered, as if they were involved in some sort of conspiracy.

Yami nodded slowly. "I realized that in spite of all we've been through, there was still a lot I didn't know about Seto. Oh, on some level, I knew how hard things must've been for him, but there's a huge difference between thinking, 'Wow, it must've really been bad' and knowing the actual, painful details."

Mokuba blinked. "I thought you guys… you know, with the mind link thing and all…"

"No. Your brother values his privacy immensely. And I respect that. I'm honored that he has chosen to let me in as far as he has already."

Mokuba was silent for a moment as he digested that bit of information. Honestly, he was a little surprised… he had figured by this point, privacy wasn't something that existed anymore between the two. It did make sense though, in a way… Mokuba knew how his brother was; of course Seto would want to retain control over what thoughts and memories he allowed Yami to access. But surely Yami, with the powers he had at his disposal – or if nothing else, his gift of persuasion – had to be capable of pushing for more if he was so inclined, and yet… he hadn't. Why? Was it because Yami didn't think it was worth the hassle and the headache to press Seto for more, because the effort needed outweighed any potential reward? Or... did he see Seto's cautious revelations as the gifts they were, ones that were worth waiting for like the winning card in a duel?

Then he considered the things he and Seto had talked about the last time he'd really been awake. Seto had been confident that Yami had done the right thing; he totally approved of what his lover had done for Noa's sake. And he had been quite frank that his feelings for Yami hadn't changed at all. If anything, he felt more strongly about him than ever. "After he regained consciousness… He told me he trusted you. And… that he loved you."

Yami felt a smile bloom on his face, but it faded slightly when he realized he didn't know what Mokuba thought of him anymore. "Thank you for sharing that with me. But... that doesn't tell me how you feel. Are you still angry with me?"

The youngest Kaiba looked down, ground the ball of his foot into the carpet, then finally shrugged. "… Dunno."

He had figured as much. "Come here; sit with me."

Mokuba seemed a bit uncertain at first, but then he took a deep breath and gingerly sat himself at the edge of the mattress. He looked over at his brother again, watching as his shoulders shifted slightly with each breath. Yami's arm rested across his brother's back. He must have been stroking it like he always did, since that was something that Seto really enjoyed, even if he never liked admitting to it. "I guess I should just get over it, huh? After all, it's not like Seto's holding a grudge… But… it's not that simple."

"No, it's not. And I don't want you to pretend to like me just because you think that's what Seto wants." Yami paused, exhaling hard. "What would it take for me to regain your trust? You believed in me once…"

"Promise me that you won't ever hurt him again," Mokuba quickly responded.

"I can't do that, no matter how desperate you are to hear it." Seeing the flash of anger in storm-colored eyes, Yami quickly held up his hand to forestall any argument. "Please, let me explain. I will always cherish him and love him as much as humanly possible. And I will never again try to hurt him on purpose. But what I did I did because I had no other choice. It was what Seto would've expected of me. It's what I expected of myself too."

Mokuba shifted a bit uncomfortably, but held his tongue and didn't interrupt.

"But don't get me wrong – I feel terrible and guilty about it, even now, even though he seems to be okay. And yet… I know I did the right thing. If I had held back, Seto would've been even more hurt by it, emotionally, because he trusted me to protect you guys no matter the threat. And I would've failed to live up to that expectation, and for what? Because I thought he needed to be protected and coddled when he was the one attacking Noa?"

"But Noa doesn't understand! He's said some really terrible things about Seto…"

"They have a lot of issues they need to work on. They'll never truly be okay with one another unless they can forgive each other for whatever transgressions they committed in the past. And they have to do that not for your sake or mine, but for their own."

"Like how I should forgive you because I want to, and not because of Seto?"

Yami nodded.

"And what if… what if I can't?"

"Then I'll keep trying until you understand. I won't give up so easily."

Mokuba released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "… But why?"

"Because you and Noa are just as important to me as Seto is – I love you both as if you were my little brothers too. And it hurts to know that you're hurting because of something I did."

Mokuba eyed the ex-spirit in surprised disbelief. He had always thought of Yami strictly as Seto's boyfriend… even after two years, a small part of him had figured that Yami really, truly only bought into the "we're a family" thing because he and Seto were a package deal, as they had always been. It had been almost too much to expect that Yami would like him as an individual, independent of his big brother, so he had simply avoided thinking about it. After all, who else besides Seto had ever wanted him before? Certainly not the families who had come by the orphanage looking to pick out a kid, but hadn't wanted the burden of a pair of brothers. Certainly not the relatives who'd left them there like an accidental litter of puppies. So why would he have thought that Yami'd be any different?

"I am sorry, Mokuba, I really am. I never meant to upset you. But… I know I made the right decision. And if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing, even with the knowledge that you'd hate me for it."

Mokuba winced. "… I… didn't mean that, you know. When I said it…"

"You may have said it in anger, but at that moment, you definitely meant it," Yami said, his voice somehow remaining steady despite the deep hurt pooling in his eyes.

"I don't hate you. I don't know why I said…" Mokuba stopped himself, then sighed, shaking his head. "No, I do know why. Everyone I've known has only been interested in using Seto, thinking they could just discard him once they got what they wanted from him. He's been treated so badly… No one's ever wanted to get to know him, or cared about his feelings." Mokuba swallowed, feeling his throat tighten. "I figured… I had _hoped_… you'd be different. That you'd treasure him and love him and stick up for him, no matter what. But… It just seems to me that this was the true test, and you failed. You didn't stick up for him…"

"I stood up for what he believes in."

"That's not what I meant!" Mokuba exclaimed. He frowned at his own outburst, then quietly mumbled, "Why can't anyone… why can't _you_, just like him for who he is?"

"I do love him for who he is. But too, I want to see him reach his true potential. I want to see him rise above the long, hard road behind him… to fly, just like his dragons. But what you're expecting from me is blind devotion, and I can't do that. That's why I couldn't sit idly by while he lost control and nearly did something he'd never be able to forgive himself for."

Mokuba wanted to protest, even going as far as opening his mouth to do so, but then he thought about how Seto beat himself up over Death-T and knew… Yami was right. Seto was going to have a hard enough time living with the fact that he had attacked Noa in the first place, even though he hadn't been in control of his actions. But if Yami hadn't stopped him, and Seto had really done some damage…

"Are you starting to understand?" Yami asked, lightly placing his hand on Mokuba's shoulder, feeling a bit hopeful when the teen didn't shrug it off.

"I… think so."

Yami nodded. Mokuba was still sorting through things in his head. But he was a smart kid; Yami had as much faith in him as he had in Seto. "I know things have been rough over the past few days. And you've had more than just Seto's illness, and my actions, to deal with. I don't expect you to forgive me if you're not yet ready; I know it might take a while to mend this rift between us. But you're willing to give it a chance at least, right?"

"Mm."

"For the right reasons?"

"Yeah. Because I don't like being mad at you. And I don't want you to be mad at me, or whatever. It sucks."

The corner of Yami's mouth twitched. He gently patted the teen's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm not mad at you," he reassured him, though he'd be lying if he said he wasn't still a bit hurt that Mokuba hadn't forgiven him. But he meant what he had said… he could be patient, if that was what it'd take.

They sat rather companionably on the bed for a minute more, then Mokuba pushed himself back up onto his feet. "I guess I should get back to work," he announced, grateful and frankly amazed that Seto was still asleep. Then again, Yami had gone back to petting his brother's scalp and back. But Mokuba had been in there a while already, enough to constitute a real break, and figured if he hung around any longer that he'd end up either waking his brother or forgetting about whatever he was supposed to be working on. Neither was acceptable.

Yami inclined his head. "All right. But don't overdo it. I know how you Kaibas get."

Mokuba rewarded him with a half smile and a slight shake of his head. "I won't… but thanks for worrying about me," he said softly, not needing to look over to know there was a burgeoning grin on Yami's face, before he turned and headed for the door.

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes:  
- Review reminder: As always, thanks to those who've reviewed – it's not only encouragement, but reviews can also help me to figure out where the story needs to go since alas, that is the flaw with plotting on the fly. Also note that I post general responses to my LiveJournal, though I'm now thinking I should offer to respond to individual reviews if requested. So if you want me to respond to your review via ffnet's email system, please mention it in your review and I will do so.  
- Re: Seto's scars. I'm addressing this retroactively since it was pointed out to me that the extensive scarring wasn't present in earlier stories, like in "Shades of You and Me." Actually, they were there. And they aren't nearly as extensive as Yami makes them out to be here. Yami's initial assessment way back when was that there were "a few old scars, but they were barely noticeable and in no way detracted from the sleek beauty of Seto's body." But then in chapter 4 of this story, Yami notes that, "Seto's back bore an assortment of welts and raised scars, some so faint that they could only be felt, not seen, and some still noticeably prominent despite the passage of years." Then he wonders, "Perhaps he had done a disservice by turning a blind eye to what was right in front of him. And maybe he'd been doing it for so long that it had become ingrained in both of them to simply pretend that Seto's past didn't matter anymore." So basically what happened is that when Yami first noticed them, he didn't think they were really a big deal and thus, it lessened the severity of them in his eyes. Once he learned what had caused the scarring, it suddenly magnified them and made them seem a lot worse. The truth (at least for this ficverse) is that while Seto certainly has more physical scarring on his back than the average person, it isn't so extensive that he'd look like the subject of a science experiment gone awry.  
- It's weird the things you don't notice omitting when you're writing - for example, Yami not explaining why in this ficverse, he didn't go on to chase his memories as he did in canon. And that was something that desperately needed to be explained. Of course, at the same time, I couldn't resist turning it into a challenge of sorts – Yami wanted Seto to talk, and Seto wasn't going to do it unless he felt he had to. I know it seems manipulative of Yami and on one hand it is, but even in canon Seto and Yami's relationship has always been about them pushing each other to where they needed to be, so it makes sense to me .  
- Another thing I realized I never addressed was how Yami felt about Mokuba, not as Seto's kid brother, but as his own person. I mean, I've had Yami talk to Noa at length (both in this fic and in "Taboo") because Noa always seemed to need the support, but I've never remembered to have him talk to Mokuba as well. So while I imagine that Mokuba knows that Yami likes him, and while Yami certainly has shown that he cares, I don't think I've ever had Yami tell him that he loves him too, not as Seto's brother, but just as himself.


	9. Ch 9: Another Boy Missing

Disclaimer: Virus Buster Serge is the creation of Masami Obari. Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**The Cost of Doing Business**

**Ch. 9: Another Boy Missing**

* * *

Seto had always thought that dredging up the past wouldn't do him any good. Dwelling on it could only make him bitter, talking about it wouldn't change a thing. And he had never been a talkative person anyway.

…Yet once he had accepted Yami's challenge, he couldn't seem to stop himself.

For the past two days, he'd been rambling at Yami about anything he could think of, sometimes literally falling asleep mid-sentence. He was still quite ill; his throat felt raw and sore and he had difficulty catching his breath at times. But he had ignored his aches and pains and kept going, letting his momentum carry him as his thoughts tumbled out like debris caught in an avalanche.

It hadn't been easy at first, of course. Seto's instincts had always told him to shut down and shut up, to put up walls, to push away anyone that tried to get too close. So even though he loved Yami, even though he believed in him, some small part of him had remained hesitant and cautious, and he hadn't been able to shake those feelings and open up no matter how hard he'd tried.

His uncertainty had made him start doubting what he was trying to do. He'd begun wondering if it was a bad idea… but that had only ended up making him bitter. Being indecisive had always made him feel vulnerable, and there was nothing he hated more than being reminded of his own weaknesses.

Instantly his anger had risen up and asserted itself, raging to the forefront like a tidal wave. He had resented that Yami made him revisit all the useless crap he'd gone through when all he had wanted was to leave it behind him. He hated the negative emotions that had gotten stirred up. And he hated that Yami had just sat there quietly the entire time, accepting it all – hesitation and anger alike – with understanding in his eyes.

When he'd seen that look on Yami's face, he had become even more enraged. How could Yami be so calm, so accepting? Didn't he understand how difficult this was for him? Or – worse yet – was he pitying him? Seto had almost wanted to slap him, just to wipe that look off his face. Instead, he had done the next best thing, spitting out the most horrible, wretched memories he could recall, daring Yami to disbelieve him, trying to shake him until he broke… while an even more desperate part of him had clung to the hope that Yami had really meant what he'd said. That he really wanted to know and was willing to listen, no matter what Seto had to say. No matter how Seto was saying it.

It was that realization that had finally doused the flame of Seto's anger, leaving him feeling numb and exhausted. It had been draining, riding that roller coaster of emotions, clinging on for dear life while it had whipped him around, but Yami had stayed with him as best he could, moderating his moods and grounding him so that he would have something stable to hold on to. Seto had been warmed by his lover's faith in him… and immediately became remorseful for how erratically he had behaved. But before he'd gotten the chance to brood over it as he usually did, Yami had led his thoughts in a different direction, applauding his efforts while gently encouraging him to continue talking.

Despite Yami's reassurance, Seto had still remained uncertain whether or not he could live up to his lover's expectations. Revealing so much of himself had felt… foreign, even after having shared a link with Yami for over a year. But Seto wasn't a quitter either, and he certainly wasn't going to give his demons the satisfaction of seeing him falter. If Yami believed in him, then he'd find a way to rise beyond his doubts and meet his boyfriend's expectations. So buoyed by his own determination, and by Yami's continued faith in him, Seto had forged on, following the unseen road that lay beneath his feet, until gradually, the words came out more easily. Until it didn't feel so strange anymore.

Now he was lying beside Yami, breathless and spent. He couldn't think of anything else to say for the moment. His head hurt and he needed a break. He pressed his forehead against the side of Yami's neck, trying to quell the pulsating ache that had lodged itself behind his eyes. He wasn't that tired… at least, he didn't think he was, but Yami was idly plucking at strands of his hair, and Seto could feel his breaths slowing and deepening.

He could have fought against it. He was almost tempted to. But it seemed to be taking some of the pain away, so perhaps it was wise to rest, at least for a little while.

Just when he was about to drift off, he heard an adolescent voice whispering something over his head, and felt Yami's throat vibrate as he responded in a low voice. Seto grimaced unconsciously, pushing harder against Yami's neck as if that would stop the chatter, but by that point he was awake enough to recognize whom the other voice belonged to. And he was never too tired to respond when needed. So with some effort, he rolled over onto his back, opened his eyes, and looked up at Mokuba. "Mm?"

"Nii… sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Mokuba said, feeling a bit guilty. He had just come in to bring Yami some printouts; he should've kept his mouth shut, but he couldn't help himself… he just had to ask how Seto was doing since he hadn't really had a chance to talk to him in the past few days. Not that he hadn't been around – he would never, EVER be too busy for that – but when he had realized that Seto was cautiously baring his soul to Yami, he hadn't wanted to risk interrupting for fear of breaking that spell. When did Seto ever want to talk about the past? Never. And yet, Yami had done it, had somehow gotten him to open the door to his past and willingly step through.

Although Mokuba was a little disappointed that he hadn't been the one that Seto had chosen to turn to when he'd always been willing to listen, he kinda understood… He was the kid brother. He would always be the kid brother. It didn't matter that he'd lived through everything that Seto had; Seto needed someone that was more of… an equal? No, maybe that wasn't the right word for it… He needed someone who was his match, his rival… someone who didn't want nor need protection from anything, even from Seto himself.

Besides, Seto had always clung to the hope that his little brother had been young and innocent enough to have gotten through their upbringing relatively unscathed. He had sacrificed himself for that ideal, risking his own body, mind and soul to provide Mokuba with a home, a childhood, and whatever happiness he could.

Mokuba understood that. He'd been playing along his whole life. He certainly didn't want to shatter that illusion now, if ever. So it was much easier to just go along with it. And at least Yami seemed to be doing a good job listening since Seto hadn't been able to shut up around him, though he was starting to struggle now, having to fight just to stay awake in order to respond to Mokuba's comment.

"It's okay. I didn't want to sleep anyway," Seto lied, capping it off with a yawn. At least his body was honest.

Mokuba indulged his brother with a small smile, more than willing to humor him for the moment. "I know."

"It's boring." As if to drive home his point, Seto sat up slightly, ignoring his headache, and snagged the top sheet off the stack of papers that Yami had placed on the bed. "So what are we doing here?" he asked even as he began reading the printout.

Yami sat up and exchanged looks with Mokuba. Neither one of them wanted Seto to get worked up over Kaiba Corp. matters, but it was too late to pretend like he hadn't seen anything. So Yami had to tell him, "I'm playing corporate ping pong with Kaiba Corp. Marketing and Product Development."

Seto cocked an eyebrow. He had known that Noa had been helping out, but now Yami was having to pitch in too? "Are they listening to you?" Seto asked in curiosity. He'd given Yami some minor tasks in the past, but hadn't ever asked him to perform in any official capacity. Not because he didn't trust Yami's judgement – because he most certainly did – but he hadn't thought that that would be something Yami would be interested in. And he was unsure of how his employees would respond to Yami's involvement in turn.

"They're… 'taking my suggestions under advisement,'" the crimson-eyed man said, shrugging a shoulder. "At least they haven't completely blown me off."

"I'll have a talk with the department heads about that, Yami," Mokuba volunteered, wondering why it hadn't occurred to him to ask Yami if he needed help with anything. Well, he had been a bit buried with his own work assignments, and his main focus had been Seto anyhow, and… he just hadn't thought about it. But Yami deserved his assistance considering all that he'd done to help Seto; it was what had redeemed him in Mokuba's eyes. "I didn't realize it was a problem. I figured… Well, I'll get it straightened out somehow."

Seto glanced at his brother, a little surprised to see him being so agreeable. Yami had mentioned that things between him and Mokuba had improved, but the brunette was glad to see proof of it firsthand. "Thank you."

"No prob." Mokuba gave his brother a lopsided grin, grateful that Seto was giving him the chance to resolve the problem on his own instead of jumping up and trying to fix everything like he normally would. True, he was sick, but even that wouldn't stop Seto from interfering if he deemed it necessary. That realization built up Mokuba's confidence, and made him eager to prove himself to his big brother. "I better get back to work. Kaiba Corp. doesn't run itself."

"Mm."

"And I'm glad you're feeling a bit better, Nii-sama," Mokuba added with a smile before stepping back towards the door. He meant that in more ways than one.

Seto's eyes softened as he nodded, giving Mokuba the go ahead to leave. "I'm glad that the two of you made up," he commented after Mokuba shut the door behind him.

"We're not at a hundred percent yet. But… we're working on it. He's a good kid," Yami said.

Seto nodded again, accepting that response. It was unrealistic to think that the rift could be closed so quickly. But they still seemed to be patching things up awfully fast, and that made him worry. "I hope he's not doing this for me, because he wants to please me," he continued, still staring at the closed door. "I told him how I feel about you. Maybe it was a mistake…"

"You were honest with him, and with your feelings. That's not a mistake."

"I should've told him sooner."

"I think… on some level, he already knew. But it is different hearing it," Yami agreed, as he considered the conversation he'd had with Mokuba two days earlier. "A couple of days ago, I told him how I felt about him too. I probably should've done it sooner as well. Maybe he already knew; maybe he didn't. But I shouldn't have assumed… He needed to hear it."

"Thank you," Seto said simply, unable to think of anything more suitable to say. But he was warmed by Yami's revelation. Just like his little brother, he had already known in his heart that Yami cared about Mokuba and yet, it was good to hear it.

"Mmhmm."

Feeling more at ease, Seto slowly wrapped an arm around the ex-spirit's shoulders and leaned against him a little. It still amazed him sometimes that he had managed to land himself a lover who was his perfect match, in every aspect of his life. Even the life he led outside of his home…

"So now you're working for me too?" Seto ended up asking with amusement in his voice.

The shorter duelist responded with a sheepish smile. "I figured I'd help with some of less technical stuff that the boys hadn't gotten to, that's all. Mokuba and Noa are far more qualified to handle everything else."

Seto paused, then in a slightly softer tone, inquired, "You sure you really don't mind?"

"I have no aspirations to become an employee. But of course I don't mind pitching in. I like seeing the process behind your products, and being a part of it."

The young CEO nodded slowly, letting Yami's words sink in, before flopping back on the bed with a sigh. "Noa's been helping out too…" he mused after another moment of silent pondering. "But he's not… I've never…"

"I think he'd do well at Kaiba Corp. But the real question remains: do _you_ trust him?"

"I… want to."

"But…?"

"Dunno." Seto shut his eyes and threw his arm over his face. "I should, right? That's what you'd want me to say."

"It doesn't matter what I think, nor what Mokuba thinks. This is between you and Noa."

"But it does matter…" Seto began muttering under his breath, then he peeked at Yami, slightly perplexed. "You genuinely like him, don't you? I mean, you trust him and everything…"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"Yami!" Seto hissed, exasperated.

"Well… for one thing, he reminds me of you."

Seto's arm shifted back down over his eyes. He was getting really tired. "I don't know why people always say that. Just because we sorta look similar…"

"I'm not talking about physical characteristics. He's just…" Yami began, then he paused for a minute. Noa was 15 now, the same age Seto had been when Yami had first dueled him over Sugoroku's stolen dragon. And like Seto, Noa had once been an adversary too. Maybe that's why Seto stubbornly remained in denial about the similarities between him and Noa, because he didn't want to see the negative traits they shared and the mistakes that lay behind them. Maybe he was afraid that that would make him hate the green-haired teen. It made sense, especially considering the difficult time Seto had facing his own past. If he couldn't forgive himself for what he'd done, how could he ever forgive Noa?

And too, there was the entire matter of Gozaburo, whose specter still hung over the Kaibas like a curse. Even without the details Seto had revealed over the past few days, Yami had known that Gozaburo was and would remain a sore subject for the young CEO. Noa's mere presence had to be a constant reminder of the role his father had played in Seto's life.

But it was doing Noa a disservice to focus on just the negative. As important as it was to acknowledge those things – because ignoring them wasn't going to make them go away – Noa was no longer the brat he'd been in the virtual world. He had changed a lot and become someone that Yami not only cared for, but thought very highly of. He was smart and tenacious. And a survivor, considering the situation his father had dumped him in. He was unwaveringly loyal too, to those that had earned it… He loved Mokuba more than anything. The teen was, after all, a Kaiba through and through.

But there was no point in bringing up any of that if Seto wasn't ready for it. Yami didn't want to be pushy… forcing a confrontation wouldn't help anyone. Seto had to decide for himself what he wanted to do…

Suddenly remembering that he had trailed off rather abruptly, Yami tried to think of what he ought to say, but before he got out a single word he realized he didn't have to explain a thing. Seto had already drifted off to sleep.

He sighed, then began gathering up the papers that lay on the bed like a pile of loosely racked leaves. After shifting himself so that his hip and leg comfortable lay against Seto's side, he began to slowly flip through the sheaf of printouts. Like Mokuba had said, Kaiba Corp. didn't run itself. If he couldn't do more to help Seto with Noa, he could at least do this much for him.

* * *

"Seto's feeling better."

That was all Mokuba had to say once he'd gotten back to the second floor office that he and Noa had taken over.

Noa lifted his head from his work, nodding out of courtesy more than anything else, knowing that Mokuba wasn't looking for conversation anyhow. Ever since that last big blow up they had, they'd barely spoken to each other, save the necessary discussing of work related matters.

But that didn't mean Noa was ignoring Mokuba either. On the contrary, he was aware of every movement the black-haired teen made and every emotion that flitted across his face, as if those things could somehow compensate for the lack of conversation. Even now, Noa was watching out of the corner of his eye as his boyfriend plopped himself down on the executive's chair behind the desk, and kept his ears pricked as Mokuba got on the phone with someone over at Kaiba Corp.

Interestingly enough, the conversation was about Yami. Mokuba was tersely informing whoever he was speaking to that they were expected to follow whatever instructions Yami had given them. Yes, he knew they were confused by Yami's involvement: he wasn't an employee, he didn't have experience. He was "only" Seto's boyfriend. And Seto hadn't authorized him to make any decisions. But Mokuba was Vice President of Kaiba Corp., and while he understood their concerns, he disagreed with their assessment of Yami's abilities. He reminded them that Yami was a gamer and a duelist; he understood KC products and their end users. And he knew firsthand about distribution and target markets too, thanks to his time at the Kame Game Shop. So Mokuba couldn't _possibly _imagine what objection a loyal Kaiba Corp. employee would have to Yami lending his expertise to such an important project, but of course if they doubted him, they could always try their luck explaining themselves to Seto instead…

As Mokuba wrapped up that call and moved on to another one, Noa tried to turn his attention back to the lines he'd been coding, but his mind remained on the things that Mokuba had said. Despite Yami's lack of experience, it sounded like he was going to be allowed to take control of the graphics and marketing stuff he'd been looking at. So that meant Mokuba was vouching for Yami now… and since he'd just come back from checking in on Seto, Seto must've given his blessing for Yami to be involved too. Well, good for Yami. But that left Noa as the only one who didn't officially have a role in the company that bore his family name.

The older teen drummed his fingers for a moment. At least the employees weren't aware of what was going on behind the scenes – he couldn't imagine how much more of a headache he'd be dealing with if the programming team decided that they didn't want to work with him because he had no standing in the company. But he was acutely aware now of how tenuous his position was…

_"You are useless to me now."_

Noa froze. _What the hell?_ Those had been his father's words to him back in the virtual world, but this time, Seto's voice was the one whispering them into his ear. But after furtively glancing around, Noa realized that Seto wasn't even in the room; the door was still closed and Mokuba was still on the phone, showing no sign of having heard anything at all.

_"Seto is to blame. Hate him if you have to."_

Noa shook his head hard, trying to clear it. Was he going mad? Why was he thinking about his father at a time like this? He couldn't afford to lose himself in the past if he wanted to successfully prove that he deserved a future at Kaiba Corp. _But… what if it doesn't matter anyways?_

His fingers stilled. He had always believed that if he tried hard enough, that if he proved to Seto that he was just as capable as he was, that Seto would eventually concede that he'd earned a position at Kaiba Corp. But what if that wasn't the case? What if Seto's distrust of him was so great that he would never get over it? What was he supposed to do then? Swallow his pride and go crawling back to apologize to the man who'd taken over the life that he was supposed to have? Beg forgiveness for having wronged him years ago, just to get into his good graces? Pretend that it didn't matter that Seto had attacked him without provocation, that it didn't hurt to know that he would always be the outcast of the "family," that Mokuba would always love Seto more than he could ever care about him…

_"Nii-sama and I are a team, and we always will be. He always said we never needed anyone else, because… you just can't rely on other people."_

Noa looked back at the monitor before him, Mokuba's words echoing in his ears as he stared at the endless lines of game code swimming before his eyes. The MMORPG he'd been working on, "Legends of Duel Monsters," was Kaiba Corp.'s next great product… How easy would it be to simply start deleting lines or entire files, master copies as well as backups, undoing thousands upon thousands of hours of planning and work? It'd almost be like blowing up the virtual world all over again…

There was a sudden pain in his hand, and Noa winced. He looked down, a little surprised to see that his hands were clenched so tightly that his nails were digging into his palm. Forcing himself to relax, he surveyed the damage. Thankfully there was no broken skin, but still…

He was angry, and yet couldn't let it out. Hurt and frightened, and yet everyone was too busy coddling and fawning over Seto to notice his pain. He felt like he was drowning, like he was being smothered, like he was being crushed under a heavy weight…

What was wrong with him? Why wasn't he good enough for Mokuba, for Seto… for his father? He knew everyone would say he ought to be grateful that he'd gotten another shot at life, that he shouldn't rock the boat, but he couldn't be content with being just an afterthought.

Maybe he was asking for too much. Maybe... He sat back, closing his eyes, feeling tired and disheartened. He didn't know what to do anymore…

"God damn it!" Mokuba suddenly yelled, causing Noa to practically fall out of his seat. He had almost forgotten that the younger Kaiba was in the room with him.

"Wha… what?"

Mokuba's eyes met Noa's for a moment, then retreated back to the phone he had just slammed down. "Sorry. Didn't meant to startle you."

_Meaning it's none of my business. _"Mm."

"I need to take a trip down to corporate," Mokuba said, his voice tight. He began shutting down his laptop without expanding on what was going on, then walked out of the room for a minute. When he came back he had a tie and dress shirt slung over one shoulder and Seto's briefcase in the other hand. "I hope Seto doesn't have any 'surprises' in here," Mokuba muttered to himself as he placed his computer inside, along with some papers and data discs.

"Uh…"

"I'll be back soon. I'm just going to an executive's meeting."

_A meeting?_ Of course he wasn't invited. "Ah."

"I already told Yami too, so you don't have to worry about that," the black-haired teen told Noa, who was beginning to wonder if Yami would explain things to him if he asked. He'd probably be willing to do that much, provided that Mokuba or Seto hadn't instructed him against it.

"All right."

Oblivious to Noa's discomfort, Mokuba flashed a quick half smile, grateful that the other teen wasn't wasting his time with a bunch of questions or wondering if he could handle things himself. He'd had enough of people second-guessing him, thinking that he was too young to make decisions in Seto's stead, arguing that he shouldn't be putting Noa and Yami in charge of their respective projects. If it took an appearance to settle things, to assure all the executives that the company was being as well cared for as their bedridden CEO, then that was exactly what he'd do.

After calling up the security station to have a car and driver ready and waiting, Mokuba hefted the briefcase, nodded at Noa, and then disappeared out the door. Noa watched him go without comment, then saved what he'd been working on before starting up a test copy of the MMORPG. He told himself that he was just checking over his work, but truth be told… he just felt the urge to kill something, and wasn't that what video games were good for?

* * *

_Not again…!_

That was Seto's first fuzzy thought when his vision and mind cleared enough for him to recognize where he was. _Goddamn virtual world! I thought we had escaped, or was that just an illusion? Shit…_

But after a quick look around, he realized… it wasn't real. It couldn't be…

_A dream, then?_

Oh, it looked just like he remembered: Yami and his clump of followers were standing before him with Noa a short distance away. The sky had darkened into a viscous blackened violet, twisting and morphing to form a likeness of Gozaburo's visage that loomed over them – the virtual world's malevolent deity. The air was heavy and thick. He could still feel the way the dust tickled his nostrils each time the virtual wind blew.

But despite all of that, he was pretty certain… it was just a dream. Because a half step behind him stood a teenaged version of himself, clad in the black, silver and white outfit he had donned for Battle City, and by his copy stood an even younger Mokuba, half shielded by the flared fabric of the other Seto's coat.

Just to make absolutely sure that he was correct in his hypothesis, Seto experimentally flipped off his double, his hand inches away from the other's face. As expected, there was no reaction at all. He took it a step further and tried to poke the other Seto, and his hand just passed right through. _Hn. I guess I'm conveniently invisible then. Wacky dream._

It felt weird to be there and yet not there, able to see everything going on while being unable to interact. But he wasn't going to complain; at least he didn't have to worry about dealing with Gozaburo this time.

"I'm so happy to see you, Chichue! I've been so lonely."

It was higher pitched than what he'd become accustomed to, but he still readily recognized it as Noa's voice. Seto turned his head slightly to look at the boy. Noa looked even younger than he had remembered… or had he really been that small back then? He was barely any taller than Mokuba had been at the time.

"You are useless to me now," came Gozaburo's cold reply, and Seto watched as Noa's eyes widened in shock.

Strange. He didn't remember noticing that little detail before. Then again, back then, he'd been singularly focused on Gozaburo, thinking only of the threat the old bastard posed to him and Mokuba. He had barely cared about anyone else at that time, even Yami – so he certainly hadn't spared a thought for Noa or how he might have felt.

Wondering what else he might've missed in his zeal to confront his adoptive father, Seto took a quick look around. Yugi-tachi were all just blinking at Gozaburo's giant likeness in disbelief. His doppelganger was staring at the man with an intense, unwavering focus. And Mokuba…

Mokuba's gaze was fixed on Noa. He was giving him a look that was part understanding, part concern, which seemed a little strange considering that just a short time prior, Noa had been manipulating the black-haired boy. And when the younger Kaiba broke free of his brainwashing, Noa had turned both Seto and Mokuba into stone statues. If anything, Mokuba should've been looking at Noa with distrust or fear, but he wasn't. Why?

Seto shook his head, a little surprised and disappointed in himself. He hadn't exactly noticed Mokuba's reaction back then either…

At least he remembered the rest of what transpired though. He had challenged Gozaburo to reveal his intentions, knowing that the man would stupidly do so to his own detriment. Gozaburo had always liked listening to himself talk.

And just like he remembered, the crazy old fool immediately began blathering about all sorts of crap: Noa's death, how he had wanted to turn Seto into a "container" to house Noa's mind, how Seto had stolen Kaiba Corp. away from him, necessitating a change of plans…

"No way. I was just… being used?" Noa asked in a small voice. Seto spared him another glance as his mind pointed out that that was another utterance he had somehow missed.

"Things have changed. Seto is to blame. Hate him if you have to," Gozaburo suggested.

Noa blinked, then suddenly turned and looked right at Seto, as if he could somehow see him. Maybe he could, even if it was just for a moment. Even though he hadn't expected that, Seto met the boy's anguished gaze straight on – dream or not, he wasn't going to back down to anyone. Besides, Gozaburo was wrong. It was his own damn fault that things ended up as they did.

A sudden strong gust of wind kicked up a cloud of dust, forcing the brunette to look away as his vision blurred. He instinctively rubbed at his eyes, trying to clear them. He could hear Gozaburo's mocking laughter surrounding him, and felt his blood pressure rising from the sound, but when he was finally able to open his eyes again, the bastard was gone. In fact, the entire dusty field they'd been dueling on was gone. There was nothing but stone all around him and the dream versions of Yami and the others.

_A cave? _

Ah, that's right, Noa had led them to some sort of cave after their encounter with Gozaburo. They'd been looking for an exit and Noa had said there was some sort of terminal in there that he could try. The green-haired boy was already standing before it, half-muttering to himself like a madman.

"I need to get a body. I'm going back to the real world to run Kaiba Corp with Seto. No, I can't just follow my father's instructions. My father doesn't need me any more," he rambled. He wasn't making a lot of sense. Probably still in shock over Gozaburo's betrayal, now that Seto thought about it.

Several voices began rapidly firing questions at Noa, wanting to know about the possibility of other exits, panicking over the prospect of being trapped there forever. Seto couldn't help but wonder why Jou and Anzu and Honda had even bothered asking when it had been obvious to him even then that Noa wasn't planning on telling them the truth, or was too crazy to give them a straight answer. He had thought that talking to the kid was a waste of time. He had been partially correct.

Seto looked back at Mokuba, who had that same sad look on his face as before. He obviously felt badly for Noa. But the brunette's younger doppelganger was a bit less sympathetic, snarling at the kid, assuring him that he wasn't as easily fooled as the Mutt.

"My father has locked the program. I can't create an exit here. … Heh… hahaha… why don't we give up? Why don't we all stay here, just like my father said? It's not that bad being here, once you get used to it…"

Mokuba suddenly broke away from the other Seto's side and ran forward. Seto instinctively moved out of the way as his little brother barreled by to grab Noa by the shoulders, shaking him as the green-haired boy laughed madly. "How can you say that? Gozaburo's abandoned you too."

Noa's laughter died down. "It hurts, Mokuba," he plaintively replied in a moment of honesty, his voice low.

Mokuba jumped back as if he'd been burned. "Nii-sama!" he gasped, but it wasn't directed at Seto or his copy, but at Noa instead. Then the boy shook his head as if even he couldn't believe that he had just said that.

Seto watched the exchange, astounded. He didn't remember hearing that part of the conversation before. Was he imagining things, or had he actually heard it back then, and simply not cared?

"Why are you looking at me like that, Mokuba?" Noa went on to ask.

Still looking confused – pained, even – Mokuba abruptly snapped, "It's nothing," and turned away, but Seto could see clearly… it was still bothering him.

The young CEO frowned as the scene blurred and faded away, leaving him unexpectedly standing in the familiar confines of his corporate office. He wandered to the window and looked out at the dream conjured city far below.

He had always denied it, or at best, waved it off as a joke, but had Mokuba really seen something of him in Noa? Did he still feel that way?

Seto didn't regret how poorly he had regarded Noa back then – after all, the kid did betray them a short time while later, just as he had predicted – but was he still clinging on to that same image of Noa? Untrustworthy… selfish… Gozaburo's brat. True, Noa did end up helping them in the end, and while Seto recognized that fact, it hadn't been enough to change his mind about him – the kid had probably done it just to get revenge on his father or something. And so once they had escaped the undersea fortress, Seto didn't spare him much thought. Noa had been more of an inconvenience than anything… Seto had refused to acknowledge him beyond that, lest he give the boy's memory any power over him.

Of course, he hadn't expected to see Noa again after that, so it had been easy enough to forget about him at first. Seto still had no clue why Mokuba had grabbed the hard drive that Noa had copied himself onto, and was at even more of a loss to explain how Shadi's stupid magic had ended up affecting the item when all he'd been there to do was to mess with the Puzzle. But regardless of the… inexplicability of it all, he had dealt with the situation the best he could.

Since he and Mokuba had been the closest thing to relatives that Noa had had – and Seto hadn't wanted the kid out of his sight anyway – it had made sense for him to take custody of Noa back then. He had figured if things didn't work out, he always had the option to keep the brat under lock and key or something. But, amazingly, Noa had behaved himself… most of the time. Well enough at least to not get him locked away. And then Yami had come along, and Seto had sorta forgotten about Noa again, until the entire incident at prom had come up.

Mokuba liked – well, more than liked – Noa. Yami liked him too. Seto had thought that it would be enough to simply share their feelings, and thus had never bothered examining his own. But now he had to admit… he was wrong. The uncertainty, the ambiguity they were dealing with now…

He suddenly threw his head back and laughed at himself. Was he really trying to solve his problems… while dreaming? Wait, he was sick too, wasn't he? Even better… maybe he was just losing his mind. Or perhaps just his inhibitions.

But… Yami had been right. This was between him and Noa. Just as he couldn't expect Yami and Mokuba to magically get along by using him as a buffer, he was being unfair in expecting them to moderate things between Noa and himself.

He just had to figure out the best way to handle it. He needed to talk to Noa, though he supposed the kid… the teen, was still leery of him. Perhaps Yami would be useful in setting something up…

That decided, Seto pushed away from the window he'd been standing at, then with a smirk, turned and headed for his desk. Since he was already busy problem solving, he figured he ought to take advantage of the fact that he had somehow dreamt himself into his office and get some work done while he was there. At least Yami couldn't yell at him for it… after all, he was technically resting. Just like the doctor had ordered.

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes:  
- Thanks to Nenya85 on ffnet for betaing as usual, and for making me think about how I was handling Noa enough to make me realize... I like handling him just fine : )  
- Thanks also for reviews and encouragement. Just a reminder, while I'll still be posting comments on LJ I'm also trying to be better about responding to individual reviews for those logged in via the ffnet system, so if you'd like a response, make sure to note that in your review. Otherwise I'll respond as I see fit – generally anyone asking a question or needing clarification should be getting an individual response from me from this point on.  
- Re: dream sequence. Ahh, I couldn't think of how to handle it at first, but then I figured since Noa was the last thing Seto was thinking about before falling asleep, that it would make sense for him to revisit the virtual world. And thanks to youtube and yu-jyo dot net, I was able to (hopefully) capture a bit of canon from episode 119, with an additional twist: how would Seto see the same scene from an outside perspective, especially now that several years had passed? Incidentally the dialogue is inspired by, but not necessarily a direct copy, of the dialogue from the subtitled episodes – some very minor changes were needed to smooth it out and / or match the Japanese better.  
- Re: incident at the prom which Seto mentions. That's referencing "Taboo," the fic arc where Seto first finds out that Noa and Mokuba are together.


	10. Ch 10: Behold Change or Die

Disclaimer: Virus Buster Serge is the creation of Masami Obari. Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**The Cost of Doing Business**

**Ch. 10: Behold Change or Die**

* * *

Noa hadn't expected Seto to be awake when he walked into the bedroom to check on him. He wouldn't have stuck around if he had known. But the brunette had looked like he was sleeping or maybe even passed out when Noa had first poked his head in, so the green-haired teen had swallowed whatever trepidation he had felt and approached the bed. After all, he had told himself, Mokuba and Yami would kill him if he didn't make sure Seto was okay, even though neither one of them had left explicit instructions for him to keep an eye on Seto. But he didn't need to be told; he knew what they expected of him, even though he definitely wasn't the best person for the job.

Yami had unexpectedly left to buy groceries an hour earlier, pointing to the fact that he'd been neglecting that responsibility in light of Seto's illness. And Mokuba had been called into a meeting even earlier since apparently some Kaiba Corp. execs were getting worked up about something or other. Mokuba hadn't explained what the problem was, but Noa could guess… either they didn't like the fact that he and Yami were involved in things, which was dumb, or they didn't approve of a teenaged V.P. running the company, which was even stupider. It wasn't like it was the first time that had happened… and Mokuba had been even younger back then. Hell, even Seto had spent more years as a teen at the helm of the company than he had as an adult! But they were "concerned," and so Mokuba had decided to make an appearance to hopefully allay their fears.

Noa could understand why Mokuba had to attend the meeting, but wasn't sure why Yami had decided he just _had_ to go to the market when they'd been fine with take out and such. It wasn't like he'd have time to cook anyway. So why the sudden rush?

Part of him couldn't help but wonder if Yami's timing was deliberate. Maybe he was just testing him or something, to see if he could trust him with Seto. Noa supposed he could ask him about that later. But for the moment, he had other things to worry about…

There was a pair of blue eyes staring at him, assessing him, and Noa found himself wondering if he was standing far away enough to be out of Seto's reach in case the brunette suddenly lunged for him. But despite the urge to flee, he stood his ground. He wasn't a coward… and he wasn't going to back down and give Seto the satisfaction of routing him.

Eventually Seto had to blink, breaking the unintentional stalemate. He was tired; unbeknownst to Noa, he had been awake for the past hour, waiting to see if the teen would stick his head in to check on him. It didn't matter if he was only doing it out of a sense of duty… that at least was something Seto could understand and respect.

Besides, Seto had needed that hour to himself. He knew he had to talk to Noa and needed time to himself to think over what he wanted to say. And he knew that was something he needed to do on his own, without interference… things would never really be okay if Mokuba and Yami kept having to play mediator. And since Mokuba was already out of the house, it had seemed like a good time to begin considering apologies for what he'd done…

Yami must've sensed it as well. He had left voluntarily, before Seto even had a chance to suggest that he was long overdue for a break. The former Pharaoh had offered to go fetch Noa too, just before he left. But Seto had wanted the teen to approach on his own; even having Yami ask, "Please check in on Seto," seemed too pushy. And so Yami agreed to simply inform Noa that he'd be out and would be back soon.

And now here he was, looking like a cross between a frightened child and a jaded adult, too stubborn to back off but too hesitant to say anything either.

Seto sighed. His eyes sought out the faded bruises on Noa's neck. The marks were almost too faint to see now, but since he was deliberately looking for them, they seemed so obvious that they might as well have been outlined in neon. Seto frowned, seeing not only evidence of his attack on Noa, but a reminder of his previous incidents with Noa and Yami as well. He would've liked to think that he'd learned a thing or two since then, but apparently the cycle was destined to repeat, unless he did something to end to it once and for all.

He wasn't sure if apologizing would be enough to fix things. Noa didn't look like he was in the mood to listen, never mind chitchat. Maybe it was already too late, their relationship beyond salvaging… But that wasn't the right attitude to have, and in any case, Seto knew what it was that he had to do.

The young CEO sat up with a grimace, then lifted a hand to beckon to Noa. "Come here…" His throat was already getting tight and scratchy; he was unsure if his voice would hold up for a conversation of any length.

_As if I'm going to get anywhere close to his hands…_ "I'm fine right here," Noa quickly replied, his narrowed eyes fixed on Seto's outstretched fingers.

Seto slowly let his arm drop, then gathered his hands in his lap, shaking his head at himself. "I suppose… I deserve that."

Noa just stared at him. At least he hadn't moved away either.

"Will you at least hear me out?"

There was a part of the teen that wanted to say no, wanted to just say "Fuck it" and leave the room, but Yami and Mokuba expected better of him. He expected better of himself too. "Yeah. Sure."

"Regardless of what may have contributed to it – being sick, being on medication – I can't excuse what I did. I'm sorry."

Noa didn't say anything for a few moments. He seemed slightly stunned that Seto had come out and apologized so quickly, but then the expression on his face soured. "Did Yami put you up to this? Is that why he left?"

"No. I wanted him to take a break, and he..."

"Uh huh. Knowing that at the same time, Mokuba was out? That I'd be the one left here with you?"

"… he knew I wanted to talk to you. That's all," Seto croaked, finishing his previous statement. He tried to clear his throat, but it just felt so dry…

There was a sound of snapping plastic coming from Noa's direction. Seto slowly turned his head to see a newly opened bottle of water floating in front of his face. He gratefully accepted it and began slugging it down, half choking on it in his haste. A second later, a hand began slapping him lightly on his back, encouraging him to cough up whatever liquid had slipped down his trachea.

"Why?" Seto managed to gasp once he'd stopped coughing. Noa was perched on the edge of the mattress now, still looking a little wary, but making no effort to move further away either.

"Why what? The water?" Seto gave a slight tilt of his head. Noa shrugged. They both knew he was asking about more than just the bottle of water. "You sounded terrible. And I do feel obligated to take care of you, you know." The brunette looked at him, surprised that, despite the harshness in the teen's words, his voice had softened somewhat.

"Obligated, huh?" Seto studied the water bottle with disinterest, then let out a short, humorless laugh. "Like how I took you in because I felt obligated to?"

Noa froze, not expecting a response like that. He had never asked why Seto had taken him in back then, figuring that there was no reason to rock the boat, that it didn't really matter, but… to hear him coldly say that… "Is that how it is?" he managed to ask stiffly.

"That's how it was."

_Huh? _"I… don't understand…"

"Mostly I did it for Mokuba, because he really wanted to have you around. That shouldn't surprise you. But also… I didn't trust you. I didn't think you could change. So this 'arrangement' made it easier for me to keep an eye on you." Seto took another sip of water. "I'm being unfair, I know."

Noa just blinked owlishly at Seto. The elder Kaiba wasn't making much sense; he seemed to be swinging between moods. That made Noa nervous. An unconcerned or unapologetic Seto was at least predictable and therefore, preferable… but it looked like he was stuck with a weirdly introspective / blunt Seto instead. _Yami… Mokuba… why doesn't someone get home already?!_

"I was wrong about you. Before today, I mean," Seto said, vague as ever. He sounded like he was thinking aloud. Noa wondered if Seto was hallucinating again…

"… What's with you?" Noa finally had to ask. There was a big difference between standing up for one's self, and utter stupidity. If Seto really was going crazy again, he wasn't going to risk staying in the room with him. He'd call Yami and tell him to come home and deal with it instead.

Seto paused. Noa could see him mentally fumbling for an explanation, but he looked like he was having a hard time of it. Just as the green-haired teen was about to suggest that they talk later instead, when Seto was more able to focus, the brunette blurted out, "I didn't really notice you back then, in the virtual world. I didn't care, actually. At most, you were a cheap copy of Gozaburo. An irritation and an inconvenience… just another in a long line of people with a grudge against me. And I certainly didn't expect to see you ever again after that. I should've known better though… nothing ever stays buried for long."

The young billionaire stopped just long enough to catch his breath, then went on. "When you came back, it was like the same thing all over again. I didn't like you, and I sure as hell didn't trust you. But it was easier to not think about that. Besides, I had a debt to pay; in spite of everything you did to us in the virtual world, you got everyone out in the end, and you returned Mokuba's body to him. So even if Mokuba hadn't asked, I would've…" He shrugged, as if to discount what he had nearly admitted. "Since things went smoothly enough at first I figured I could live with it, having you simply exist here. It made Mokuba happy at least."

"But every time I looked at you, I saw your father's shadow. It was like playing 'games' with him all over again. I was determined not to let him win, not realizing that I was playing right into his hands by fanning the flames of my hatred until it blacked out everything else. The more I struggled, the more I became mired in that darkness." Seto let out a tired snort, and dropped back down on the bed, scrubbing at his face as if that would clear away all the confusion. "I've fallen into that trap before. I really should've known better – you aren't Gozaburo. Hell, if anyone's the old man's shadow, it'd be me."

Noa swallowed, hearing in the pregnant pause the faint echoes of the words Gozaburo had uttered in the virtual world:_ Seto is to blame. Hate him if you have to. _He shook his head, realizing for the first time that that was the endless trap that Seto had just spoken of. Had he fallen into it as well?

"It was bad enough that I attacked you once. Twice, unforgivable. I know it's not enough to say 'I'm sorry,' and I'm not making excuses, but I thought if I tried to explain…" Seto exhaled, his breath coming out like a hiss. "I'm not good at this. I'm not good with talking about these things," he ended up muttering.

"But… you're trying at least," Noa pointed out, when he realized his brother was on the verge of clamming up again. "You've never said this much to me before."

"Guess not. I don't like talking. And I never knew what to say to you anyways…" Seto shook his head at himself, letting it roll around on the pillow. "Damn, I really need to work on that. I think I just told you that I didn't like you…"

"Didn't. Past tense, both times now. Which would imply that something's changed. And you've apologized twice too. You wouldn't have bothered doing that if you still disliked me that much."

"Smart kid." Seto let out a bitter laugh that trailed into a coughing fit, then closed his eyes. "You're right. I didn't even realize… Maybe I do like you, then. But it's not fair. You weren't supposed to forgive me."

"I didn't say that either. I haven't decided. I'm just hearing you out, like you asked."

"It's okay. I won't hold it against you, whatever you decide. I just thought you deserved to hear the truth…"

Noa frowned at Seto's assumption. "It's not okay! I don't _want_ to hate you… And what makes you think this is all about you, anyhow? You haven't even asked me to explain myself yet!"

Seto slowly opened his eyes and turned towards Noa, catching him a little off guard. Not because of his lack of response, because that was simply his way of telling Noa to go ahead and have his say, but because at that moment, he seemed a little… vulnerable, caught between the pains his illness and guilt had wrought. But there was strength and resolve there as well; exhausted as he was, Seto wasn't going to shortchange his younger brother. He would give Noa his full attention simply because he had asked for it.

It felt like it was the first time Seto was seeing him… really seeing him – not as a reminder of Gozaburo, nor as a reflection in Mokuba's or Yami's eyes – but as himself. It made Noa want to match Seto's bold honesty with his own. And so he did.

"Yami told me… he pointed out, that I never apologized to you for my actions in the virtual world. I didn't see why I had to. I thought I was being generous in not making you apologize actually, and that I would just get over it… the resentment I felt for you stealing the life that should have been mine." Noa laughed nervously at what he was saying. "I know, I know… you didn't really steal it. My father had… already moved beyond his need of me by that point. But when he told me to blame you, to hate you… it was easier that way. It was easier to make you the scapegoat, because I…"

The green-haired teen shook his head as he paused to gather himself. But it wasn't enough to keep him from choking out the next few sentences. "I know he wasn't very good to you; Mokuba… told us about some of what happened. But… he's still my father. I couldn't hate him like that. I still can't."

With a shaky sigh, Noa leaned back to take a breather. It was hard having to revisit the past while trying to see it with different eyes. He'd been so used to seeing Seto as an adversary on one level or another that he wasn't really sure what other options there were…

He thought about Yami, who called himself Seto's rival and yet, was his lover too. He thought about Mokuba, who'd been betrayed in the worst possible way, but still looked on Seto as not only his beloved older brother, but as the only father he'd ever known. And then there were all their friends and "extended family": Yugi, Jounouichi, Sugoroku… they had all been participants at Death-T, hadn't they? And yet, even they seemed to have come to terms with that… Yugi had helped set up Seto and Yami on that first blind date. Jou, even with all the insults that he and Seto regularly flung at each other, had stood up for Seto at the Grand Prix. And Sugoroku, who'd had his precious Blue Eyes stolen and ripped apart by Seto, had even found it in his heart to gift Seto with that very same card, one which no amount of money could buy.

Was it really possible for so many people to overlook so many flaws? Or was he approaching the problem from the wrong angle? Maybe it wasn't that everyone else was more forgetful or more compassionate or whatnot… maybe instead, it was his own sight that had been corrupted, poisoned by the resentment he'd been harboring. But was it too late to undo the damage that had been done? Or did the answer lay in using that emotional flotsam and jetsam to his advantage instead, to build a bridge between them? Would something like that be stable enough to hold? Or would it shimmer temptingly and then vanish, like a mirage, leaving him disappointed and alone? But illusions were such compelling things…

"I blamed you for making my father cruel. But… that's not right. He wouldn't have treated you better no matter what you did. I think he resented that you weren't me, just as he resented my mother for not being his first wife; she had run off with another man. My mom had the misfortune of looking too much like her I think… maybe that's why he married her. Maybe that's why he was cruel to her too – he'd slap her and yell at her, telling her that he couldn't trust her, that she must've been cheating on him too. My mother was weak though… although she thought about leaving him, she was too scared to act on it, especially since there was no way my father would've let her take me too. So in the end, I could only watch as the fighting continued on."

He wasn't one to cry. He certainly wasn't going to do that now. But Noa's voice cracked all the same as he went on to whisper, "I shouldn't have messed with Mokuba. He didn't deserve it. But I wanted to hurt you so badly, to take away the one person you loved… Besides, I was so lonely. The virtual world was supposed to be perfect, but it wasn't. Having Mokuba helped me forget about that for a little while too." He let out the breath he'd been holding in. "It hurts to know that Mokuba will never love me as much as he loves you. It's like losing to you all over again. I know that's the wrong way to think about it, because like Yami said, love isn't something restricted to a single person, but… it's how I feel. I'll always be the outsider here."

"No. You're a Kaiba too," Seto quickly retorted.

"In name only," was Noa's bitter response.

"No," Seto insisted. "You and I are more alike than I ever wanted to admit. And we've both inherited Gozaburo's legacy. Regardless of what I may think of the old bastard, nothing changes that fact."

"That's easy for you to say, Mr. President of Kaiba Corp.…" He hadn't meant for it to come out so bluntly, but it had been bothering him for such a long time…

Seto just laughed tiredly. "Ah… You're right, you're absolutely right. But this is no longer the company that your father intended to leave you; that Kaiba Corp. passed with him, and from its ashes rose the new Kaiba Corp. I've poured myself – my pride, my dreams – into making my company into what it is today. So I'm sure you can understand, I can't hand it over to anyone… But that doesn't mean I'm so full of myself that I think I can handle it alone, either. I would like it… if you'd consider an offer of joint vice presidency, with Mokuba."

"Wha…" Was he joking? How could he say it so simply, considering… "How can you say that, when I haven't even forgiven you yet? When you haven't forgiven me either?!"

"Are you saying you can't handle the job unless we forgive each other first?" the young CEO asked, amusement momentarily lighting up his eyes.

"Ye… no! I don't know! I mean…" Frustrated, Noa cringed as that train of thought proceeded to wreck itself in a resoundingly disastrous manner. He wasn't even sure why he was still so worked up. It wasn't like he'd really expected Seto to step down from his position as CEO… like he had said, it was his company now. He had rebuilt it, given it wings, and let it fly. So why couldn't he simply say "Yes?" Seto had offered him a position at Kaiba Corp. Wasn't that the important thing? Being acknowledged, being shown that he mattered? "Vice president…"

"We can demarcate duties later, of course," Seto explained. He knew he was springing his offer rather unexpectedly on the younger Kaiba, but he had made his decision, and hadn't seen any reason to put it off any longer. "I have faith in your abilities and your loyalty. I don't need you to apologize for what you did in the virtual world…"

Noa immediately cut him off. "But_ I _need to apologize!" he began angrily, and then unexpectedly, he was struck dumb by look Seto was giving him. It was just like the one he'd given him earlier, that mixture of strength and vulnerability… It almost felt like Seto was offering not only the support that Noa needed to face the things he'd done, but also the freedom to do it at his pace, on his terms. It felt… nice, that someone knew him well enough to be that considerate. It made him feel like his feelings mattered, like HE mattered.

And suddenly, Noa became aware of the possibilities that the future held, if only he believed enough in Seto to take that next step. The elder Kaiba had already laid down the groundwork to bring them together by taking the initiative, getting Noa in the room so they could talk. So that he could apologize to the teen. But it was Noa's own trepidation that had been holding him back from fully embracing what was offered, and bridging that gap…

He looked at the bedridden brunette again. Seto was too young for Noa to ever view him as a father figure, but he hadn't been looking for one anyway. And he had never thought about wanting a big brother, having been born an only child, but hadn't he been calling Seto "Nii-sama" too…?

They were a family, but only now was it sinking in what that truly meant. Families stuck together through both good and bad. And Seto really was… a pretty good big brother. Sure, he had made his share of mistakes, but that was almost a requirement in their household… and what mattered most wasn't the past that lay behind them, but the fact that they all had the strength and courage to keep going forward. What a messed up bunch they were… and how fortunate they were to have one another, because who else could understand them so well? Now that he thought about it, he realized he wouldn't trade Mokuba, Yami OR Seto, for anyone else in the world.

"Um… wait. I want to start over…" If he was going to apologize, he was going to make sure he did it with the right mindset and the right attitude. No more half assing it. Noa placed a hand on Seto's wrist, and took a big breath. "I _want_ to apologize. Not just for what I did to Mokuba back then, but for what I did to you too. I was wrong to blame you. And I am sorry. And if you won't forgive me, then I… I…" Noa grimaced and looked away, unable to finish the sentence as a lump rose in his throat.

A hand reached out to lightly touch Noa's hand, giving it a consolatory pat. The teen started at the unexpected contact. "Come here, please," Seto whispered.

With only the slightest bit of hesitation – mostly due to his wondering about how to best comply with the request – Noa moved over on the mattress until Seto nodded in approval, then turned so that his back was against the headboard and his hip, resting by Seto's pillow.

"Thank you," the brunette said, then to Noa's amazement, he rolled over and threw an arm around Noa's waist, effectively holding him in place. "I accept your apology."

"And… I accept yours, Nii-sama. And your offer of vice presidency," Noa said, while still pondering their strange positioning. It was like being hugged and pinned down at the same time. It wasn't unpleasant, but at the same time, it felt… foreign. Other than Mokuba, and perhaps his mother, who else had ever held him like that? And Seto wasn't exactly known for doling out hugs on a regular basis anyhow.

Feeling Noa fidget under him, Seto eventually had to ask, "Does this bother you?"

"Not really. I just wasn't expecting it." Noa answered truthfully as he began lightly rubbing Seto's forearm. But... he was getting used to it. There was something comforting about being held like that, and holding in return.

Seto smiled slightly. "Then stop fidgeting," he ordered, before closing his eyes and curling up a little more tightly against Noa's hip.

The young billionaire was just full of surprises. Noa boggled at him. "You're going to sleep? Like this?"

"Why not… You're my brother," Seto sluggishly explained with a touch of irritation, as if Noa had just asked the most obvious question in the world. "'N 'm tired."

Noa couldn't help but grin. Seto was right. But he didn't need to tell him that, and Seto wasn't looking for a verbal reply anyhow. So instead, the teen wrapped his right arm around his brother's shoulders, half cradling him, letting his embrace serve as the response that Seto had been waiting for.

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes:  
- It should come as no surprise that the longer this ficverse goes on, the more little tiny details contradict one another. So being nitpicky as I am, I've made some minor changes to the ANs of "Taboo" chapter 9, and a line in "The Cost of Doing Business" chapter 9, to make them match:  
1) In "Taboo," I edited the AN regarding how Seto became a Kaiba to read: "What I assumed happened for the purposes of the ficverse was Seto was adopted as a potential rabbit (due to the chess game) but since Noa died before the two ever met, Gozaburo had to change his plans and ended up deciding to turn Seto into his heir instead."  
2) In "Cost," I edited this line: "And just like he remembered, the crazy old fool immediately began blathering about all sorts of crap: Noa's death, how he had wanted _(originally "planned")_ to turn Seto into a "container" to house Noa's mind, how Seto had stolen Kaiba Corp. away from him, necessitating a change of plans…"  
- Re: Seto saying that Noa's bruises reminded him of previous incidents. The incident with Yami took place in "Aftershocks" (he didn't try to choke Yami, but did grab his arm hard and scratched his neck) and the previous one with Noa took place in "Taboo." once. But it was implied twice – earlier, Seto had said that he didn't trust Noa and didn't think he could change – so Noa counted that as "twice."  
- Re: Seto saying that he didn't like Noa, twice. Technically, Noa's wrong; Seto only said it once. But it was implied twice – earlier, Seto had said that he didn't trust Noa and didn't think he could change – so Noa counted that as "twice."


	11. Ch 11: Behold Change or Die II

Disclaimer: Magic 8 Ball is a product of Mattel, Inc. Virus Buster Serge is the creation of Masami Obari. Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**The Cost of Doing Business**

**Ch. 11: Behold Change or Die II**

* * *

Upon arriving home after having presided over a pair of hastily scheduled meetings, Mokuba spotted something that he didn't expect to see: the tail end of a white Porsche, barely visible from the main driveway, parked over by the kitchen door.

Normally that wouldn't have been anything unusual; Yami regularly parked there whenever he had groceries to bring in. But of course Yami wouldn't have been out and about with Seto ill as he was, especially since Mokuba hadn't been available to sit with him. But still…

No one else would've thought to park there. It was Yami's spot, and it wasn't even a proper driveway anyhow, simply a paved walkway just wide enough to provide vehicle access through to the pool area, for maintenance. And no one else would've been driving Yami's car either; the former Pharaoh was as possessive of it as Seto was of his favorite vehicles.

Confused, Mokuba hurried into the house and headed up the stairs to Seto's room. Although he could think of a few reasons why Yami might've left the house, none of them seemed good enough. But he tried not to jump to conclusions… Seto believed in Yami. He loved him. So Mokuba put his faith in that too.

Still, he couldn't deny feeling relieved when he finally reached the master suite and threw the doors open to an unexpected sight: Noa dozing in Seto's bed, slumped against some propped up pillows, with Seto's arm slung over his legs. They were so haphazardly positioned, it was as if exhaustion had claimed them both in mid sentence, but at the same time, there was something so natural and right about the way they held onto each other, as if there had never been problems between them at all.

"Welcome home," said a soft voice from behind Mokuba's shoulder.

The teen turned to see Yami standing a few feet away, over by the wall. He hadn't heard the crimson-eyed man walk in, so he must've been watching the scene from the sitting room. "Did… you plan for this to happen?" Mokuba mouthed, gesturing at Noa and Seto. "… Your car was…"

Yami cocked his head slightly as he mulled over what Mokuba was asking, then he motioned for the teen to follow him out of the room. Once in the hallway, Yami leaned against the wall before responding. "I didn't plan anything. Seto had been ready to talk to Noa, without interference. So I left."

"Oh. I see…" Mokuba hadn't really given that possibility much thought, but it made sense. Even though Seto wasn't normally a talkative person and was still sick to boot, of course he would've wanted to deal with Noa on his own, in his own way.

"It looks like they've managed to come to some sort of understanding. I'm glad. It's been long overdue."

"… Ah. Yeah." Mokuba fidgeted a little. For some reason, the whole situation was making feel slightly awkward, like he'd been left out of the loop. He wondered what Seto and Noa had talked about. Did Noa understand now? Did he accept Seto for who he was? Mokuba had to know… after all, Seto wasn't the only one who had a rift to mend with the green-haired teen. "I guess there's things I need to sort out with Noa too. But… I'm not sure what I should do…"

"Start by looking into your own heart, and clearing your mind of unprofitable things like doubt and expectations."

"Wha… what's that supposed to mean?" Sometimes, talking to Yami seemed to be the equivalent of shaking a Magic 8 Ball for answers. _Reply hazy, try again._

"What I mean is, don't make up with him simply because he's made nice with Seto. Noa's a part of our family; he's someone that matters, someone who deserves to be treated with honesty and consideration. So you need to think carefully about your feelings, Noa's feelings, and what it is you want or need to say, or else you'll just perpetuate this vicious cycle." Yami shrugged. "Just make sure you're doing the right thing, for the right reasons, that's all," he finished gently as he watched a whole range of emotions flit across Mokuba's face: confusion, anger, distress, weariness.

The youngest Kaiba finally settled on an expression that bordered on hopeful. He was thinking about the peaceful expressions on Seto and Noa's faces as they dozed next to one another. If they had managed to settle things… "I'll try. I don't know if I can promise anything though…"

Yami gave him a slight smile. "Don't promise. Just do your best. That's what counts."

Mokuba looked away for a moment, then curled his toes into the carpet before looking back over, although his gaze remained somewhat distant. "The right reasons… You said something like that a few days ago…"

"Yes. Except this time we're talking about you and Noa, not you and me."

"… 'I should forgive because I want to, and not because of Seto.' That applies to Noa, too."

"Yes," Yami answered, although he realized by that point that Mokuba was no longer addressing him anymore.

Mokuba nodded to himself, then turned back towards the door leading to Seto's room. He took a few steps towards it, then paused to look back over his shoulder for a brief second, as if suddenly aware that things weren't settled on this front either. But his mind was focused elsewhere at the moment… and he knew Yami would wait. Without another word, he opened the door and disappeared into Seto's room.

* * *

Noa awoke to the awkward realization that he was being watched. At first he wasn't sure if it was just in his mind, the side effect of waking up in an uncomfortable position in an unexpected place, but then he noticed Mokuba sitting on the far right side of the bed, still in the slacks and dress shirt he had worn to Kaiba Corp. The younger teen was stroking Seto's hair but his sharp gaze was fixed on Noa, and there was a strange, distracted look on his face.

_Well, this is a little uncomfortable, _Noa thought to himself as Mokuba continued to silently stare at him. Then again, the whole situation was weird. Seto was still asleep, wedged between them on the large mattress like some lumpy pillow. His arm lay across Noa's lap and his fingers loosely clutched at Noa's pant leg. It had to look strange to anyone who knew them, especially considering that he and Seto hadn't been speaking to each other for almost a week.

Noa wondered how to best explain things. "I don't remember nodding off…" the older teen finally mumbled, not knowing what else to offer but the truth. "Have you been home long?"

Mokuba took a quick glance at the clock, then shrugged. Only a half-hour had passed since his conversation with Yami, but he'd been so engrossed in thought that it seemed that only a few minutes had passed.

"How did your meeting go?" Noa prodded.

The black-haired teen shrugged again before answering. "I got sucked into two of them. They were okay though."

"That's it, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Oh." The dry response was a bit of a disappointment. Noa tried to approach things from a different angle. "Well… maybe I could sit with you next time and keep you company. 'Cause um… guess what?"

"Eh?"

"I'm… Nii-sama offered me a position at Kaiba Corp," Noa said, wishing he sounded more confident about it. His eyes searched Mokuba's face for a reaction as he continued on to explain, "I'm going to be a V.P., like you."

Mokuba blinked, as if coming out of a daze, finally rewarding Noa with the spark of interest that he'd been hoping for. "Really?"

"Uh huh."

"... How'd you manage that?"

Noa was taken aback by the insinuation that he had done something to manipulate things in his favor. Instead of congratulating him, Mokuba was questioning him, as if he couldn't believe that Seto would willingly offer Noa his trust. Frustrated, he blurted out, "You're not going to forgive me, are you? Even though I didn't do anything to you. Even though I already apologized to Seto. Isn't that what you wanted? I don't know what else you expect from me."

"… Wha...?" Mokuba had no clue why the conversation had taken such a sudden turn for the worse. He'd thought that things were finally improving, and had even been thinking of how he and Noa could patch things up, but maybe he'd been too optimistic. It was very upsetting, and he couldn't help but spit back, "Why are you being all pissy all of a sudden? All I wanted to know was what happened."

"You seem suspicious, like I did something…"

"Well, can you blame me for being surprised? Last I checked, you weren't even willing to be in the same room as Seto, and now everything's magically better?"

"'Magically better?' You think it was that simple? Hell… I thought you'd be happy that we made up. But you're not!"

"That's because I don't want you guys doing it for me. That doesn't count."

"We didn't!"

"Well how am I supposed to know that if you're just going to assume things instead of explaining them??"

"I…" Noa suddenly shook his head. How had they gone from a docile conversation about Kaiba Corp. to snarling at each other like wild dogs? "If you trust us – if you believe in me at all – then shouldn't my word be good enough?"

Mokuba roughly ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know. I don't know what to think anymore," he groaned, sounding very young and very confused.

Noa wasn't sure what to say in response to that – what would be the point, if Mokuba had lost faith in him? – but then he felt a slight movement to the right of his leg. He looked down for a moment, then back over at the black-haired teen before letting loose a sigh. For the moment, Seto was still asleep, but if they kept going at it like they'd been doing, he'd probably wake up, and Noa didn't want it to turn into a three-way dance, especially since Seto had looked like he'd really needed the rest. "Maybe we should take this outside. Yami's home, so he can sit with Seto," he suggested in a lowered voice, sounding much more composed than he felt.

A look of concern drifted across Mokuba's face as he also glanced down at Seto. "Ah, yeah. You're right." He slid off the mattress and walked around to the other side of the bed, all the while watching the way Noa carefully handled his brother, suddenly feeling a sense of shame for having doubted the older teen.

Noa had said that they'd made up, and had been offended that his words hadn't been enough to convince Mokuba of his intentions. That normally would have been enough, but under the circumstances… It was a good thing that actions spoke louder than words, for Mokuba could see that something _had_ changed. For starters, Noa hadn't asked for help, hadn't said anything about it being Mokuba's job to take care of Seto. And too, there was that newfound confidence and care in his movements. Noa was working slowly, trying not to disturb Seto any more than he had to, carefully prying the brunette's fingers off his pants before grabbing an extra pillow and guiding Seto's arm over it, so that he'd be able to continue sleeping in the same position. Then after he had pushed himself off the bed, he turned to adjust and smooth down the blankets around the sick man as well. Mokuba almost expected him to cap it off with a pat on the head like Seto was a child or something – that was how gentle Noa was being.

Dumbfounded over what he had just witnessed, Mokuba mutely followed Noa out of the room, silently accompanying him as they looked for Yami. They didn't have to go very far: Yami was in the second floor office, half-hanging out the door with his computer on his lap, as if he'd been expecting them to come and fetch him. Without even waiting to hear their request, he inclined his head at the pair, then quickly shut down his laptop, pushed his chair back into the office, and headed off in the direction of Seto's room.

Noa gestured at the now vacant room. "I guess this'll do."

Mokuba nodded, heading in and seating himself at the small conference table. He hoped that that'd be good luck since that was the same table where their last family feud had been resolved, although considering things really hadn't been fixed at all, maybe it was a bad omen instead?

He waited until Noa sat down on the chair to his right, then turned and awkwardly said, "It was stupid… us fighting, I mean. I had gone in because I wanted to talk, and instead…"

"It doesn't matter. I lost my temper too."

Mokuba grunted and let the matter drop. They had both messed up; since they both admitted to that, there was no point in dwelling on it further. Besides, that wasn't the foremost thing on his mind. "You really did make up with him, didn't you?"

Noa took a deep breath. "I apologized. He did too – twice, even. He really surprised me. He was much more patient than I thought he'd be. It was like... this was the first time he really saw me. I liked that. And it was probably the first time we were able to speak freely to each other too."

A slight smile touched Mokuba's lips. "I'm glad to hear that."

"I really am sorry, you know." When the younger Kaiba gave him a questioning look, Noa added, "For a lot of stuff. Like what I did in the virtual world. I was wrong to blame Seto for what my father did. And I shouldn't have involved you, either. But I was desperate to get out of there. I just wanted my life back the way it was."

"That's old news. And I've never held that against you. I mean… I understand why that happened," Mokuba assured him.

"Yeah, but I never said it…" He shrugged, knowing that he had a lot more to say. But he had wanted to get that out of his system before delving into the much bigger issue that loomed over them. "And I apologize for arguing with you and upsetting you when you were already stressed out. I said a lot of things that I shouldn't have because I was scared, and I didn't understand… Maybe I didn't want to understand." Noa sighed deeply, then went on, more quietly than before. "But at the same time, I can't change who I am, not even for you. I'm still my father's son. And despite everything that's happened, I just can't bring myself to hate him."

"Even though he used you?"

Noa looked down to study the surface of the tabletop. He traced a finger across it, as if to mar the faint reflection of his face in the polished wood. "What about Death-T?" he finally asked. "And yet you still love Seto."

"It's not the same."

"It's still a sort of betrayal Mokuba, no matter how you look at it. I know the reasoning behind it is different… but the results…"

"But the reasons are what matters. Even at Death-T, I know Nii-sama was only thinking of protecting me. When did Gozaburo ever think of anyone but himself?"

"You're wrong. He loved me when I was younger. I have memories of all the things we did together; I was happy. And he was beside himself when I died. Shouldn't that count for something?"

"That's not the Gozaburo I grew up with."

"I guess not. But like, I didn't grow up with Seto either. That's why you can't expect me to think the way you do," Noa pointed out. "I didn't have a big brother while I was growing up. Maybe that's why I underestimated the strength of your bond. Maybe that's why I was jealous of it too – your absolute faith in him, your unconditional love for him. I never saw any room for me in the equation… To me, I had to be your one and only or else I'd be nothing to you at all."

"But you know that's not true! I thought you understood that. We've talked about it before. Look at Yami, or Seto. They can accept…"

"But I'm not Seto! You have to stop expecting me to be like him."

"I didn't mean it like that!" Mokuba yelled back, but even as the words exited his mouth, he felt himself shifting in his seat, suddenly aware of just how awkward and immature he was. It had always been a bit of a joke that Noa reminded people of Seto, but was there some truth to that? Had that been his assumption too? If that was the case, then of course he could never live up to that… only Seto could be Seto. Noa could only be… himself. Mokuba thought back to Yami's challenge. Could he accept Noa for who he was?

In the meantime, Noa had begun nervously rubbing at his forehead at the stifling silence. He had to get a hold of himself before he made things worse that they already were. "Sorry. I _know_ I'm being unreasonable. Part of me does understand all the stuff you mentioned. But it's something I still struggle with. And it scares me that you can't accept that. That no matter how much I try to change, it won't ever be enough," he finally ended up saying.

"No… I'm being unreasonable too," Mokuba slowly admitted. "People aren't stagnant; they do change. But we should do it because we want to improve ourselves, not because someone is forcing us to. I don't want you to change because you're afraid of losing me. What kind of boyfriend would that make me then?"

Noa lifted his head. "Boyfriend?"

"Well, I know it was kinda touch and go for a while, but we didn't actually break up, right?" the younger teen mumbled.

"No, but… I wasn't sure…"

"I do love you for who you are, imperfections and all. Because that's what makes you you, and not someone else. I love a lot of stuff about you: you're caring, loyal, smart… you have a great sense of humor. And I love that you get jealous if anyone even looks in my direction. Like you totally don't realize, you're cute as hell yourself."

Noa just stared at Mokuba. His face felt warm. "Uh, thanks…" he finally managed to squeak, not knowing what else to say.

"And… I accept your apologies and want you to accept mine." Mokuba reached out for Noa's hand, lacing their fingers together as he said, "I'm really sorry for getting mad at you. I shouldn't have. Seto hurt you, and all I did was make excuses for him. I just couldn't stand that you were defending Yami and angry with Seto, that you didn't see things from my point of view. I made it seem like you didn't matter, and that's not true at all! But… what's done is done. I can't take it back. All I can do is apologize, and hope you'll forgive me, and try to be better in the future."

The green-haired teen smiled thinly. "If you can look past my faults, then I suppose I can forgive yours too."

"Gee, thanks."

Noa's smile broadened. It was a relief to be on good terms again. "So I guess you've forgiven Yami too then? You two must've already talked..."

"Mmm, well… admittedly, I've been a little too distracted thinking about us to think about Yami," Mokuba confessed. "I know he didn't really have a choice – he did what he had to - but still…" He shut his eyes. "I don't ever want to see anything like that again."

"But you're not mad at him still, are you?"

Mokuba cocked his head. "… I guess not. I'll talk to him later, I promise. But for now… I just wanna spend some time with you. It's kinda scary that we've been living together for this long, and yet there's so much we've never talked about. Like all that stuff with Nii-sama… I just assumed you knew."

Noa nodded. "So can I ask you something then?" he queried in a subdued tone. Even though Mokuba had pretty much thrown open the floodgates so to speak, he still felt like he was intruding. But that was something he had to get over… he didn't want to have to tiptoe around things anymore, like some thief in the night. He wanted to know everything about his family, both the good and the bad.

"Of course."

"Well, uh, you know about my father… but how'd you end up with Seto? Er, I mean… I know your parents passed away, but you had also said something about no one else wanting you. I just find that hard to imagine…" Noa sighed. He didn't think he was wording things very well. "I guess I'm just trying to understand why you're so close to Seto."

Mokuba tried to figure out how to best explain things, then decided he'd just start from the top. "Hmm, well… you know about as much as I do about my mom, I think. Seto's never talked about her much – I don't think he remembers her all that well himself – but I'd like to think that she took good care of him. As far as my dad, well, he wasn't around much… not that I was old enough to remember him either. But even when he was alive, Nii-sama said he wasn't home very often; he worked long hours and traveled a lot on business. And when he was home, he was too tired to care for us, I guess. We got shuffled off to relatives, neighbors, daycare. We must've been a huge burden, though Seto bore the brunt of it. He had to be responsible for me as well as himself…"

Mokuba sighed, then continued on. "I always hated that. I wanted to help him… I didn't want to be a burden on him. And of course it only got worse when our father passed away. Our aunt and uncle took us in after that, but they never really wanted us at all; they thought we were bad luck 'cause everyone seemed to be dropping dead around us, so as soon as they spent our inheritance, they dumped us at the orphanage."

"After that, it really was just the two of us. I thought that we'd be at the orphanage forever because no one wanted kids that were already half grown, especially a pair of them. It wasn't terrible living there I guess, but I was so little at the time, I didn't understand what it meant to be unwanted…" Mokuba scratched at his chin. "Well, I guess that's not exactly right… Seto wanted me. And he tried his best to remind me of that. He'd play with me and smile and tell me things were going to be okay because at least we had each other, but I think in reality he was under a lot of stress, worrying about our future and the possibility that eventually we'd get forced apart."

"And then one day, your father showed up. Nii-sama saw him as our ticket out of there… and well, you know how things went from there…" Mokuba trailed off as he tried to bite back the bile rising in his throat. He'd never see Gozaburo through Noa's eyes, nor would he ever want to. Noa could only see the caring father from his childhood; his vision blurred when faced with evidence that proved that Gozaburo had been a monster to everyone else. And he was practically blind to the fact that that same "caring father" discarded him just as callously as Mokuba's relatives had. That was part of accepting Noa too, perhaps the hardest part. But at least it was also something the black-haired teen could understand, though he knew better than to voice any of it. It would only hurt Noa to be reminded of the truth, and he didn't want to cause his boyfriend any more pain...

And then his mind made an odd jump. Wasn't he sort of doing the same thing with Yami? It was probably even worse in his case, since at least Noa was looking for the positives in Gozaburo whereas Mokuba was looking for the complete opposite in Yami. He had forgotten all the good things Yami had done… the happiness he had brought to Seto's life. Instead, Mokuba had become so fixated on the entity Yami had been in the past that he had ended up blinding himself to reality. He had refused to consider any argument – even Seto's – that Yami had done the only thing he could have done under the circumstances. But the truth was, Noa had been in real danger. And Seto wouldn't have forgiven himself if he had harmed him. Yami understood that. He hadn't been trying to hurt or punish Seto at all. But that power he had… it _was_ frightening. Mokuba had seen the extent of the damage the former Pharaoh could do; he used to have nightmares about it. And it hadn't helped that Yami had said that he'd use it again if he had to. Could he accept that possibility? Could he accept that aspect of Yami too?

Meanwhile, Noa was silent as well, though his thoughts were on a completely different matter. He was processing the information Mokuba had just revealed. He had known bits and pieces of it already, but this was the first time that he'd been given a framework to stick them on. Even without the minute details, it was a good start… already it gave him a better of understanding of why Mokuba was so attached to his big brother. Mokuba didn't remember his parents… his first memories were of Seto. He'd been the one constant through his little brother's life and considering how tumultuous that life had been, it was only natural that Mokuba would've ended up clinging to him. But for once Noa didn't feel jealous. He was grateful that Seto had not only protected Mokuba, but had given him the stability that he needed to grow into the bright, fiercely loyal teen that Noa loved.

"Thanks. That really helped," the green-haired teen finally announced. "Hearing that makes me really thankful that you have someone like Seto in your life."

Mokuba blinked, suddenly jerked from his thoughts. But he recovered quickly. "We," he swiftly corrected as he caught the tail end of Noa's statement. "You can count on him too you know."

He was rewarded with a smile. "And you. And Yami."

"And Yami."

Noa cocked an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah. I know I still haven't apologized, but… I think I'm finally ready to. Not because I have to, but because I want to." Mokuba's exhaling sigh was colored with both relief and nervous anticipation. He stood up. "Coming with?"

"Right now?" Noa asked, even as he rose to his feet as well.

"Yup. I've kept him waiting long enough, don't you think?"

In response, Noa grinned proudly as he sidled up to his boyfriend and slung his arm around his waist, making his approval crystal clear as the pair exited the room, shoulder to shoulder.

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes:  
- Hrm, no real comments. Thanks again to Nenya85 for the beta, sorry about the delay on the chapter, and please review!


	12. Ch 12: To Have and To Hold

Disclaimer: Virus Buster Serge is the creation of Masami Obari. Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**The Cost of Doing Business**

**Ch. 12: To Have and To Hold**

* * *

Mokuba paused a brief moment before he finally turned the knob and opened the door to the master bedroom suite. It wasn't because he had changed his mind… he was sure he wanted to apologize to Yami. But he didn't know if Seto was asleep or awake, and part of him almost wanted to put things off if it turned out Seto was still out, because he wanted him to hear it too. He wanted to put his brother's mind at ease as much as he wanted to make amends with his brother's lover. But he figured Yami deserved better than to have to continue to wait, whether it be a day, an hour… even a minute more. And when he thought a little more about it, that was what mattered most… anything less would've meant he wasn't ready.

Decision made, Mokuba stepped into the room without any further hesitation, with Noa just a half step behind, lending him his silent support.

Just as Mokuba had figured, Seto was still sleeping. Yami had wrapped his arms around the taller man and was cradling him like he was a little child, but upon noticing the two younger Kaibas entering the room, he lifted his head off the pillow and greeted them with a quick nod.

"Things have improved between you two," Yami commented softly, smiling as he took notice of the teens' joined hands.

Noa followed the direction of his gaze, and returned the smile. Mokuba couldn't help grinning as well, but the grin faded as he remembered why he'd come into the room in the first place. "I need to talk to you."

Yami took in the serious expression on the teen's face. "I see." He gave Seto's head an extra pat. "Well, I guess Noa can sit with…"

"I'd like for Noa to hear it too, because it's a family matter," Mokuba quickly replied. "We'll just have to keep our voices down." He looked down at Seto, feeling a twinge of guilt – it didn't feel right to be carrying on such an important conversation without him. Being in the same room with him only sort of counted, but he'd have to accept that. His brother needed to rest more than anything.

Yami took a moment to consider Mokuba's words, but eventually he nodded before gesturing at the bed with one hand. He couldn't really scoot over further, but it looked like there was enough space on the edge of the mattress for both of the teens to sit down. "So what's on your mind?" he queried as the pair settled themselves across from him.

Mokuba jumped right in, his words falling out in one huge rush. "I'm sorry about the things I said to you. I was wrong. I know you love Seto. That should've been enough – hell, that's all I ever wanted for my brother. For someone to love him and understand him and accept him for who he is. But the moment your magic struck him, I forgot about all of that. I hated you. I felt like… you betrayed him. Like you betrayed _me_. All I wanted to do was to hit you where it'd hurt most…"

Yami gave a slow nod. "I know. And I do understand why you reacted the way you did. That's why I'm not angry with you."

Mokuba eyed his guardian carefully. _He really has changed a lot, _he thought to himself. There was a time when it seemed that anger was Yami's only setting… back then, he only appeared to deal with threats, handing out harsh penalties to his vanquished opponents. But back then, anger was all Seto had felt as well. Mokuba had understood and accepted that aspect of his brother. So why was he still holding it against Yami? "I realize you were only trying to help Noa. You weren't acting out of malice. And it wasn't like you had time to try and figure out other options, or to consult with me. You did what you had to, knowing I'd be pissed, but also knowing… it was the right thing for you to do."

"But even knowing all of that, it doesn't absolve me, does it?"

Mokuba let out a heavy sigh. "It's not that. I just… I keep thinking of Seto slumped in his chair at Death-T, completely unresponsive. I know you're not the same person you were back then. You'd never do that to him again. So why can't I forget it?"

"Because you can't deal with the past by trying to bury it."

"I _know_ that. But I just don't get… how do you and Nii-sama…"

"We haven't forgotten about the things that we've done to one another. We've simply learned to accept them. We've turned what could've been a weakness into a strength. That's the only way to move forward – to have your feet firmly planted on your foundation, to rely on the support of those around you, even as you strive to reach the stars."

Mokuba exchanged glances with Noa. Their resident motivational speaker was waxing poetic again. But Mokuba had to admit, he was liking the mental image Yami had created.

Then the former Pharaoh shook his head. "But, at the same time, that doesn't mean that we shouldn't apologize when we've wrong each other. I've never made amends for the things I've done to you. I've been thinking about it the past several days… and I realize I've been assuming that things between us were fine just because Seto and I have accepted each other for who we were, and who we've become. But you're not him, and I shouldn't have assumed you'd react like him... especially when the situation isn't the same between you and I."

"It's okay. I never brought it up either. I guess… Truth be told, I didn't really want to think about it. It's funny… you let me off easy compared to Seto. But it was still a little scary."

"You were so little back then… I didn't really want to hurt you. But at the same time, you were a threat to me and my friends. So I gave you punishments which, at the time, seemed appropriate." Yami's mouth twisted slightly in distaste. "Looking back on it now, I realize how little restraint I showed. There was no need for many of the things I did. And I am sorry, Mokuba. I don't want you be frightened of me."

"I'm not. At least, not any more," Mokuba assured him, though his expression was one of relief, as if he'd been waiting a long time for Yami to acknowledge what he'd done. "Because it was never about us in the first place."

Noa looked between the two, realizing that here was another thing he'd been left out of. But he held his tongue, not wanting to interrupt, figuring that he'd be better off asking for clarification later if he needed to.

However, Mokuba saw the confusion on his boyfriend's face, and decided to clear things up right away, though he didn't want to waste time on details. He'd just have to explain those later. "I've played penalty games with Yami in the past. I kinda mentioned it before… those were the times I challenged Yami behind Seto's back. Now that I think about it, Yami had tried to discourage me… but I wouldn't listen to him. I didn't want to. So I guess you could say I got what I deserved." He shrugged one shoulder, then turned back to Yami. "But just so you know Yami, even if I could go back in time and undo things, I wouldn't. It's not that I don't realize that what I was doing was wrong. But everything I did, I did for Seto – that was all that's ever mattered."

A hand suddenly touched down on Mokuba's shoulder, squeezing it. The black-haired teen gasped at the unexpected contact, but he quickly realized it was just Noa, trying to show his support. There were still questions swimming in his blue eyes, but he didn't voice them. He wasn't going to pass judgement on either of them. He was going to believe in them both.

It was better than Mokuba felt he deserved. He had always done whatever he could for Seto, and everyone else came in a distant second. He had always figured that, if it came down to it, he and Seto could only really rely on one another. But Noa – and Yami – were sitting there with him, listening to him, offering their encouragement, accepting him for who he was…

Mokuba suddenly laughed, though it came out half sounding like a sob. "Heh… damn it. Why couldn't I see it before? That's how you and Seto feel, right? You both know you can't change things, no matter what. But you're okay with that. That's the acceptance you were talking about." He paused, suddenly feeling absolutely wretched. "But… you still said you're sorry..."

"Because I am. I'm not proud of the things I did to you. I wish we could have met on better terms. But at the same time, I'm not hopelessly wishing to change the past, because even if I have regrets, there's nothing I can do to undo what's already been done. I can only apologize, and hope that you'll understand."

Mokuba began chewing on his lower lip a little as he took a moment to digest Yami's words. Then in a softer voice he asked, "Have… you and Nii-sama ever apologized to each other?"

"No, not really. But that's different. Just rest assured that we understand each other, and that we don't hold our past actions against one another."

"You'll never try to hurt him again." It was a statement, but the tone of Mokuba's voice made it sound more like a question.

"Not deliberately. Not like before. But, as I've already told you, I can't promise that I won't ever hurt him again. Because I'd do anything to protect the two of you. And I'd expect the same from Seto if our roles were reversed."

"You guys… really are too much," Mokuba mumbled, choking out the words with some difficulty. Why was it getting so hard to breathe? He almost felt like he was being smothered by Yami's gaze, and Noa's hand on his shoulder suddenly felt too heavy. He swallowed hard. He didn't want to cry… he couldn't afford to, not if he wanted his words to be taken seriously. "I don't… want that. I don't deserve it. I don't want to be the one that everyone else has to take care of. Seto's already given me all of himself. And Yami… you're not any better. You're always trying to save everyone. Hell, you nearly died trying to protect me during that earthquake last year. I don't get you guys at all."

"I think you do, actually. Because you've done it yourself. As much as Seto's taken care of you, you've done the same for him. You took care of him after Death-T and even kept Kaiba Corp. going, and you were only what, 9 or 10 then?"

"But… I failed him this time. I knew Nii-sama was going to overwork himself in America, and now look how sick he's become! It's because I didn't do enough to help him, and I didn't do a good job looking out for him. Because I didn't go along with him even though I should've. If I had been there to insist on it, he would've gotten more rest. He would've remembered to eat."

"Mokuba… none of that is your fault. It's really up to Seto to take care of himself."

"Well, he sucks at it. We all know that." Yami was quick to nod in agreement. "I knew he'd push himself too hard. He doesn't know when to stop…"

"That may be true, but Yami's right. It's not your fault, Mokuba," interjected a hoarse, weary voice.

"Nii-sama!" It took all of Mokuba's willpower to keep from throwing himself on top of his brother. But when Seto rolled over and reached an arm out towards him, Mokuba immediately caved, grasping onto the hand that was offered, letting it pull him down into an embrace. He barely registered Noa joining in beside him. He didn't know why he felt so relieved… he had known Seto was okay – he'd only been sleeping. But it felt like something had broken in him, and he couldn't hold it back any more…

"Mokuba…" Seto whispered, his fingers combing through the teen's tangle of thick hair. "I'm sorry…"

"Wha… why are you sorry?" Mokuba cried incredulously, hiccuping between sobs.

"I've made you worry," Seto said simply. He paused a moment to lightly rub away the moisture gathering on Mokuba's lower lashes, then posed a seemingly random question. "Mokuba, do you remember when you were little how I'd carry you on my back when you were sleepy or too tired to walk?"

The black-haired teen wasn't sure where his brother was going with his question – it seemed so haphazard – but he certainly remembered all the times Seto had carried him home or put him to bed, never once complaining about having to do so, no matter how tired or weary he was himself. "Yeah…"

"I haven't had to carry you in a long time, literally or figuratively. If anything, I've been leaning on you, relying on you, when I've faltered. I used to be ashamed of that, thinking that it was a weakness. It took me a long time to understand that I should've been grateful instead, for your strength. So don't be so hard on yourself. You've never failed me. You've always taken care of me, even when I didn't want it. Even when I didn't deserve it."

"Nii-sama…" Mokuba breathed. He had always known that Seto needed him. But he never felt like he'd done enough, no matter how hard he had tried. So to hear his brother say that he was strong, that he had never failed him… it was unreal. He almost wanted to ask Seto to repeat himself; surely he hadn't heard right?

But as he began replaying Seto's words in his mind, he came to another realization._ I didn't want it. I didn't deserve it_. Those were the same things he'd said earlier, about himself. "How… how long have you been awake?"

Seto managed to crack a small smile. "Long enough to realize that the two of you were working things out okay without my interference," he said, tilting his head back slightly to catch a glimpse of Yami nodding at him.

Mokuba grimaced, feeling guilty for having wished that Seto be awake for the conversation. Maybe that had made him unconsciously raise his voice or shift his weight on the bed or something. He quickly finished wiping off his face on the back of his hand, then straightened himself up slightly. "I'm sorry we woke you."

"Don't be. I've gotten a lot of rest the past week or two… it won't kill me to stay up a little bit more today."

"See, you're doing it again," Mokuba complained.

"Maybe we should leave," Noa suggested, although he didn't really want to go. He had just made up with both Seto and Mokuba and was basking in the sense of togetherness that went along with it. But it was hard to tell if Seto was doing as well as he claimed, and he didn't want to see him collapse or anything.

Predictably, the young CEO waved away their concerns. "No."

Mokuba sighed. "Nii-sama…"

Seto shrugged one shoulder. "If you and Yami still need to talk, just keep going. Pretend I'm not here."

"What else is there to say?" Mokuba asked, directing the question inwards even as he turned towards Yami. "We're not… well, I'm not mad at you anymore, I mean. Not that I could blame you if you had gotten angry. But you didn't. Instead of yelling at me, you were patient with me. You gave me my space but didn't let me forget that you were still there for me..." He shook his head. "I never thought we could rely on anyone else. But I was wrong. You care so much about us… not just Seto, but me and Noa too… When did you become such a nice guy?"

"There's many people responsible for that, including yourself. Being a part of Yugi, being surrounded by my friends… being loved by Seto and being accepted as a member of this family… all of those things gave me a new perspective on life. They gave me a reason for being, one that had nothing to do with dueling or fighting endlessly for a glimpse of a past that's no longer really mine. I'm grateful. I feel blessed."

Mokuba's lips pursed slightly. He had come to apologize to Yami, but Yami had turned the tables on him and apologized to him as well. He couldn't let things end like that. Surely, there was something more he could say, or do…

The black-haired teen suddenly rolled off the bed and stood up, then, much to everyone's surprise, he bowed deeply. "Yami, I not only insulted you and your relationship with Seto, but I degraded our relationship as well. Please forgive me. I won't ever doubt you again," he said earnestly, his voice steady despite the rapid beating of his heart.

Yami was equally quick to slide out from under Seto and hop to his feet, a warm grin lighting up his face. "Of course I forgive you," he assured Mokuba as he walked up to him and hugged him tightly. "I've forgiven you from the start. But thank you… you've made me feel a lot better. I'm very proud of you."

As Seto and Noa looked on with approving smiles, Mokuba released the breath he'd been holding and hugged Yami back, pressing his cheek against the spikes of hair, laughing both in relief and the sudden realization of the height difference between them. Either he was growing obscenely fast, or Yami was shrinking. But it didn't matter how tall he got. Yami would always be both older and wiser. And he wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes:  
- Anticlimactic? Eh, even the boys were tired of fighting. But it's NOT quite over yet… two more chapters to go, or 1.5, since the next one is a wee chapter-let.


	13. Intermission

Disclaimer: Hungry Hungry Hippos, Mr. Mouth, and Hi Ho! Cherry-O are products of Hasbro, Inc. Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**The Cost of Doing Business**

**Intermission**

* * *

"Uh… what in the world are you two doing?" Mokuba asked as he cautiously stepped into his brother's room. He had heard Yami screaming from all the way outside the door, but they hadn't sounded like sex screams, and Seto was still on enforced bed rest, so he had figured it was okay to just walk in…

But now, he was wondering if he had made a bad decision.

Yami and Seto were curled up under the sheets in the middle of the bed, looking like a pair of curious turtles poking their heads out. Between them, there was some sort of colorful plastic game board.

Mokuba nearly tripped over the accompanying game box, which had been left on the floor. He picked it up, his eyes growing wide in surprise. "Hungry Hungry Hippos? Um, isn't this a kid's game?"

Yami just grinned sheepishly. "I guess."

"Is it… fun?" The teen felt stupid for asking, but he couldn't quite wrap his mind around it. _The box says ages three to six…_

"Yes, but it's kinda stupid fun."

"Best thing about it is that I can kick Yami's butt," Seto boasted, as if that were his greatest accomplishment ever.

Mokuba didn't want to dull his brother's enthusiasm – he was all in favor of anything that took Seto's mind off his lingering illness – but still… "Yeah… oooookay..." _Dang, now I forgot why I came in to… oh yeah. _"Nii-sama, if I could pry you away from your hippo domination for a moment, could you take a look at the press release I've been working on? There's a few sections that seem… iffy. Assuming you feel up to it, I mean."

"Why wouldn't I be up to it?" Seto asked, the sheets sliding down around his waist as he sat up to accept the papers being handed to him. He was shirtless. Mokuba didn't bother to ask if he was pantsless as well. He'd rather assume that that was not the case as he went and sat down on the bed.

While Seto scrounged up a pen and eagerly began marking changes on the documents he'd been given, Yami began setting up for another round of hippo play. Not that it took very long to move a score of marbles out of the little pits and into the more shallow indentations ringing the center of the board; he was done within seconds. Then he pulled his hands back under the covers, intending on passing time rubbing Seto's thighs and lower back. He figured that that was a safe enough activity. Mokuba probably wouldn't appreciate it if he were to let his hands wander all over the brunette's crotch, for example.

But for once, Mokuba wouldn't have noticed what Yami was doing, one way or another. The teen couldn't help but stare, entranced – or maybe bewitched – by the shiny, cheap plastic toy. Games like that probably existed in the childhood memories of most kids, but although he and Seto had played a lot of games in their time, he didn't remember ever having something so… childish. He just had to touch it…

He patted the green hippo that was closest to his brother. Yup, there it was… a piece of molded plastic with an eternally frozen, cute, perky expression. He lifted up the head and looked down its "gullet." Yup, technologically advanced as a set of dominoes. He prodded the marble release lever closest to him, letting a few of the white orbs free to roll around the central ring. Yup, mentally stimulating indeed… for three-year-olds.

"Mokuba…" Seto peered over the documents to give his brother a warning look.

Mokuba volleyed with an innocent expression. "Hmm?" It was so tempting, that little black lever jutting out of the hippo's back… He began pressing down on it very lightly.

"My hippo. Don't touch it."

"What hippo? I'm not touching anything." Poke. The hippo's mouth flew open and engulfed a wayward marble. _Chomp. Hehe. _

"THAT hippo. Stop that," Seto grumbled.

"You know, I just finished setting up for another game," Yami sighed theatrically, as if he couldn't spare the three seconds it'd take to reset the board.

Mokuba rolled his eyes, then jabbed the lever several more times. Poke poke poke. More marbles vanished into the hippo's cavernous maw. _Hmm, this IS kinda stupid fun... I wonder why I never tried anything like this before?_

"Stop molesting my hippo!" Seto hissed.

Yami snickered and stuck his hand out to grab the green hippo by the head, pulling lightly on it to extend its neck before allowing it to withdraw into the bulk of its body. "Can I molest your hippo, Baby?" Yami purred, while Mokuba made a gagging sound. How did everything always end up being about sex?

_At least the game isn't called Waggling Willy Wangdoodle, _the black-haired teen thought to himself. He was glad he didn't say it out loud. Seto might've taken the suggestion and run with it, putting it into production or something.

"Will both of you leave my hippo alone?!" Seto hoarsely yelled. "Jesus Christ…"

Mokuba shook his head slowly in disbelief, though he couldn't hide the amusement in his voice as he told the duo, "I love you both, but you guys scare me sometimes."

"You haven't seen scary yet," Yami said with an answering grin, and when Mokuba gave him a questioning look, the crimson-eyed man gestured towards the floor behind his side of the bed. Mokuba was almost afraid to look, but curiosity won out in the end…

There was a crapload of game boxes on the floor, more than any child would've received for their birthday or Christmas morning. Yami had gotten everything from Mr. Mouth to Hi Ho! Cherry-O to some sort of battery powered fishing game. He must've cleared out a whole section of a toy store… a kid's toy store. Not the adult ones he probably would've normally preferred.

It was… unexpected. A refreshingly innocent approach. Was that how Yami had managed to keep Seto's mind off of being sick and missing work? Gaming was what Seto and Yami loved, whether it was Duel Monsters or video games or more "mature" board games. That was about competition; that was about winning and losing. But this wasn't the same, despite what Seto may have boasted about earlier; this was simply about playing and having fun, complete with plastic hippos and fruit and fish.

Seto must've noticed Mokuba's increasing interest. "Go get Noa and we can all play something together," he suddenly suggested, as if Mokuba were five instead of fifteen.

It sounded strangely tempting, but his obligations to Kaiba Corp. demanded he decline. "But… I've got stuff I have to…"

"Take a break. Kaiba Corp. will still be there in 15 or 30 minutes," Yami was saying, but Seto suddenly interrupted him.

"No. I understand. We won't keep you," he said stiffly. He straightened himself up and handed the article he'd been editing back to Mokuba. "I made a few minor changes, but overall, it's very good."

Normally Mokuba would have been thrilled by the compliment, but it didn't sound right this time. He looked at his brother. Seto had his business face on. He seemed to have lost all the joy that had been present moments ago, when he had asked if he'd like to play.

Mokuba stared at the papers in his hands, then put them aside on the nightstand. He looked back at the now neglected game still sitting on the bed. It'd be irresponsible of him with the workload he had taken on, and the looming deadlines, but… "Nii-sama, would you like me to play with you guys?" he slowly asked.

"You're busy."

"I'm never too busy for you."

Seto hesitated a split second, then mumbled, "It's a stupid kid's game anyways."

"Maybe… but I've never tried it before." Mokuba touched the lever on the green hippo again. "I shouldn't dismiss it without even giving it a shot…"

"True," the young CEO agreed, relaxing a tiny bit. He slowly let out the breath he'd been holding in. "Well if that's the case, I'll let you have the green hippo, since you seem to like it," he furtively offered, like some salesman wheedling to close a deal. "It's the best one, I think."

Mokuba couldn't help but laugh. "It's okay Nii-sama, you can keep the green one. As long as I don't get stuck with the pink one." Even he had limits to how much "cute" he could stomach.

A slight smirk touched Seto's lips. "Deal."

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes:  
- This was originally going to be a one-shot, but I have so many one-shots lined up that I wanted to at least attempt to clear a few out. My first thought was to use it at the end of "Summer of '69," but the ending of that arc was so far removed from where I originally imagined it'd be that this simply didn't fit. Not sure it fits all that much better here (although, with Seto bedridden, it was good timing for Yami to approach him with some toys) which is why I called it an intermission instead of a chapter. Plus, it's too wee to be a proper chapter!  
- I love the idea of Seto enthusiastically pounding on a little plastic toy (that sounds so, so wrong) meant for toddlers. There's something so wrong about it, and yet so satisfying... Plus, I like the idea of him playing a game that doesn't involve any strategy or forethought, since that's the exact opposite of Duel Monsters.  
- In the same vein, I have to wonder if Mokuba ever had the chance to play such simplistic games himself. Because he always followed his brother's lead, and because of the way they grew up, I think whatever gaming / playing he did was probably more suited for a kid 5 years older than him, aka Seto.


	14. Epilogue 1: Antivirus

Disclaimer: "Operation: Mindcrime" is performed and recorded by Queensrÿche. Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**The Cost of Doing Business**

**Epilogue 1: Antivirus**

* * *

It wasn't an idea that Seto would have thought up on his own. He didn't like being caught in huge crowds. He didn't like being bombarded with pointless noise. But Yami had different tastes. He liked being around people, liked the lively hustle and bustle they created. He wanted to experience everything, no matter how crazy it was.

Yes, Yami wanted to take Mokuba to a rock concert. The crimson-eyed man had been getting music recommendations from his bosom buddy Valon, and had taken a particular interest in a metal band called Megadeth that just so happened to be on tour with a stop in their area. Seto could only imagine the sort of hooligans that would be attracted to that kind of music – he had given a few songs a shot and been rewarded with an instant headache – but at the same time, he made no attempt to dissuade Yami. For one thing, Mokuba had never been to a concert before. And he seemed to share Yami's taste in music, at least in this case. Too, Seto secretly thought that it'd be nice for Yami and Mokuba to spend some time together since they'd had a bit of a falling out while he was ill. And if they wanted to bond over guitars, wailing vocals, and objectionable lyrics, well, good for them.

… Besides, getting them out of the house meant he could get a few extra hours of work in, since they wouldn't be there to nag him about how he was still recovering and had to take it easy, even though they knew full well he intended to get back on his regular works schedule the next week.

The pair left late in the afternoon, several hours before the concert was scheduled to start, so that they could pick up Malik, whose taste in music was apparently as obnoxious as his taste in clothes. But Seto figured there was safety in numbers, not that anyone would make it past Yami's Shadow Magic if things were to get out of control. And at least they were smart enough to take a limo instead of fighting with Domino's metalheads for parking behind the concert venue.

It turned out that Seto's plan wasn't as perfect as he had hoped, however. He'd forgotten about Noa, or more accurately, forgotten that Noa could be just as stubborn and pigheaded as either Mokuba or Yami. And it wasn't like any of them could forget the doctor's warning that if Seto didn't take care of himself, he could relapse. So as soon their respective boyfriends had left, Noa wandered into Seto's office with his laptop so that he could keep an eye on him while they both tried to get some work done.

It wasn't bad at first. Noa was a quiet, focused worker. But after about two hours, he'd decided that Seto had done enough work for the day – the brunette was beginning to sag in his chair and was irritably muttering at his computer. But rather than take the chance that Seto would start arguing about knowing his own limits, he simply suggested that they go something to eat. After all, if Mokuba and Yami were off having fun, he figured they should follow their lead and find something better to do than stare at their computers all night.

Seto wanted to protest. He felt a desperate need to work. But he was feeling tired and hungry, and the look on Noa's face made it clear that the teen would fight him if he refused.

They had sandwiches delivered to the house. Then Noa asked Seto to join him on a low level test dungeon run with some of the Legends of Duel Monsters characters he was finalizing. Seto provided him with feedback, then disappeared for a short nap before getting back up to get a little more work done while he and Noa waited for Mokuba and Yami to come home. All in all, it wasn't a bad evening.

It was a bit past 1:00 AM when the two concert goers finally arrived home. They were sweaty and disheveled, as if they'd been in the middle of a scuffle. Seto was alarmed at first, but relaxed a little when he saw Mokuba laughing, grinning broadly as he showed off the concert tees he had picked up. The teen enthusiastically proclaimed that he'd had an awesome time, even though his ears were ringing and his throat raw from having yelled whatever lyrics he'd been able to memorize over the past few days. And he was absolutely exhausted, falling asleep minutes out of the shower.

As quickly as Mokuba had gone under, he still managed to outlast his brother. By the time Yami staggered out of the bathroom after his shower, Seto was out cold, lying nearly sideways across the mattress with his legs dangling off the side, as if he had just collapsed there while waiting for his lover to come to bed. Yami considered moving him, but he didn't want to risk waking him. So instead he relocated the pillows to suit their new orientation, then folded the edge of the comforter over Seto the best he could before following suit, curling up with the other edge of the comforter, lulled by the feel of Seto's breath on his back.

* * *

The next morning, Yami awoke to find himself sprawled nearly diagonally across the mattress, with no sign of Seto anywhere. He rolled around until he spotted the bedside clock, then rubbed his eyes and looked at it again, before grumbling to himself about the fact that it was nearly 11:00 AM. He normally slept in, but not _that_ late...

He swung his legs out over the edge of the mattress. _Kai-baby?_

There was a slight pause before he got a response. _Yes?_

_Ugh, I just woke up. _Yami indulged in a yawn and part of a stretch before wincing at the stiffness in his neck. _Where are you?_

A mental sigh. _Where do you think?_

The former Pharaoh felt a frown forming on his face. _You didn't go to work… did you? _

Seto didn't answer, which was more telling than anything he could've said. In fact, Yami could almost feel his boyfriend bracing for a scolding. _Seto, I thought we agreed that you'd go back starting next Tuesday. You're not at 100 percent yet._

_I feel fine. I even made sure to keep my work load light… And I have Noa here with me – the bugger made me bring him along – so you don't have to worry about me. Besides, it's a Friday, and I don't plan on coming in tomorrow on top of that, so really… it's not a big deal. _

_Why must you insist on…_

_I bet Mokuba's not even up yet. So I'm filling in for him, sorta._

Yami knew it was pointless to argue or even to get Mokuba involved. Seto had been going stir crazy the last few days, so it was no surprise that he had ended up sneaking off to work. At least Noa was there to keep watch over him for the time being; Yami had no doubt that the teen would strong-arm Seto into calling it a day if he thought it necessary. Not that Yami was going to leave it all in Noa's hands. It was Friday, as Seto had so kindly reminded him… and Fridays meant he should head down to Kaiba Corp. to have lunch with his lover.

After throwing on a pair of basic black cargo shorts and a blindingly shiny, semi-sheer gold and silver lurex skull tee, Yami finally emerged from the bedroom and went looking for Mokuba. He was a bit surprised to find the youngest Kaiba still in his room and sitting on the bed, his hair rumpled and his eyes still squinty.

"Good morning. Still recovering from the show I see."

Mokuba scratched his head, making his bedhead even worse, before grabbing at the back of his neck. "Ow… My neck is killing me…"

"Same here," Yami said sympathetically. Clearly their neck muscles weren't developed enough to handle two hours straight of headbanging.

"I don't think… I've slept in this late in a long time," he declared, then he got a better look at Yami. "You're all shiny and stuff. Are you going somewhere?"

"Our respective boyfriends snuck off to work without telling us."

"… Oh."

"So I think we need to make them take us somewhere for lunch."

The black-haired teen managed a wry grin. "Well, it is Friday. Seto can't complain about that."

Yami kicked up a shirt that was sitting on the floor and tossed it to Mokuba. "Let me know when you're ready then."

* * *

They made an odd quartet, dressed as they were, sitting at a back corner booth in a hugely popular casual dining restaurant. On one end of the style spectrum were Yami and Mokuba, casual as could be, with the latter in a black and blue concert tee and a pair of slightly wrinkled True Religion jeans that he hadn't quite grown into yet. On the other end were Noa and Seto, both fresh out of the office in full business attire despite the fact that it was business casual Friday. Noa looked every bit like the newly appointed V.P. of Technology and Development in a navy suit, with an aqua Ferragamo cephalopod print tie his only nod to the day's relaxed dress code. Seto was no slouch either, dressed in a very pale gray knee-length coat and gray slacks that served as a more fashion forward variant on the standard business suit, with an ornate gray and gold medallion Versace tie as the formal finishing touch.

But few people paid them any attention; that was the benefit about eating at a place that was THAT busy. The downside of course was the food was taking quite a while, much to Seto's chagrin. But he didn't make an issue out of it. He knew not to rock the boat, that his family would rather have seen him home than take him to lunch. And he was fine just sitting back and listening as the other three freely talked about anything and everything that came to mind.

Things really were almost back to normal, and yet, it also felt like everything had changed… for the better.

Noa had to be the most chipper of the bunch at the moment. He was clearly excited about his new role at Kaiba Corp. – as well as his new office in the works on the 70th floor – and was practically bursting with ideas for everything from product improvements to system security upgrades. Seto saw a lot of potential in many of his ideas, and wondered to himself for the umpteenth time why he had waited so long to give the teen a position at his company. But there was no reason to fixate on that any longer... what mattered was that Noa was now officially part of the company. And that made him very happy, which made Seto smile in turn.

Also excited was Mokuba, who was still going on about the concert, talking about everything from the venue to the setlist to Malik's few moments of "fun" bounding around in the mosh pit before security had broken it up. Seto was relieved that his little brother hadn't partaken of said "fun" as it sounded like it was just a bunch of aggressive retards slamming their bodies together in an attempt to hurt themselves and one another. But despite his misgivings, the important thing was that Mokuba had had a good time and had gotten the chance to experience something new, something that served as common ground between him and Yami.

And as for Yami? He effortlessly bounced between all the topics that were being presented. Even though he had the least amount of technological know-how amongst the four of them, he was able to back up many of Noa's ideas for Legends of Duel Monsters – or "LoDM," as he had dubbed it – simply by approaching it from a gamer's point of view. And of course he was happy to second Mokuba's request that they attend more concerts in the future, because he'd had a good time too. He even managed to tie the two threads together, suggesting that they should consider contracting with popular bands to provide exclusive songs to serve as a "soundtrack" for their MMORPG, a sort of added bonus to provide players with more bang for their buck.

Yami had put so much thought into the matter that it made Seto a little uneasy. Oh, sure, the former Pharaoh had good sense and instincts and understood intimately the hearts of gamers. That wasn't the problem. It was just that he didn't want Yami working for him; there was a line between business and "pleasure" that he didn't want to cross. But he had already entrusted Yami with a variety of tasks in the past, and he'd always done a good job…

"I guess you'll be wanting an office on the 70th floor too…" the young CEO finally muttered aloud.

The conversation at the table trickled to a stop as Mokuba, Noa and Yami all blinked at him. Seto stared back. Had he been so quiet that they'd forgotten he was there? Or was it just a case of bad timing? Now that he thought about it, he hadn't been paying attention to whatever they'd been talking about the last minute or so… Maybe they'd moved on to a new topic of conversation?

"Nii-sama?" Mokuba prodded.

"But I don't want you working for me, Yami," Seto clarified. Why were they all still looking at him funny?

"Okay… and I don't want to work for you…" Yami slowly parroted back, as he tried to figure out what had suddenly brought that on. He'd been talking about how he was looking forward to their Friday night gathering, since it was the first one he'd been able to host in weeks...

"But you're always trying to help me with stuff – making suggestions, taking on tasks that I don't have time for…"

Yami cocked his head slightly. "Yeah. Because I want to. Because sometimes you need someone to bounce things off of, someone who's looking at things from a different perspective. But that doesn't mean I want to be your employee."

Was Yami just saying that to try and make him feel better? Seto didn't want to make the same mistake with Yami that he had with Noa. He didn't want to deny him something that he really wanted. "Then… why bother?"

"I like helping out. I like feeling useful. And I like knowing that you trust me enough to rely on me when things get a little hectic."

"That's it?"

"Pretty much. Why, what's wrong?" He reached for Seto's hand, furtively checking his temperature. It seemed normal. But still, he couldn't help but worry that Seto wasn't feeling well and that it was affecting his thoughts in turn.

"I don't know. I feel like… I'm taking advantage of you." Yami had taken such good care of both him and his brothers while he'd been sick, and he'd been so patient with him too, even through the eight weeks of separation that had preceded that…

Yami shook his head. Was his boyfriend nuts? Considering that Seto provided him with anything and everything he could ever want – money, material things, a home, and more importantly, love and companionship… In what universe would that equate to taking advantage of him? "Believe me, you aren't."

Seto opened his mouth, then shut it, like a goldfish. He wasn't sure what to say anymore. He was starting to feel stupid for having voiced his concerns at all.

Yami saw his lover floundering, and decided to intervene before he started moping. "You've always given me all of yourself, as much as you could. And I've tried to do the same for you. So what more could we possibly ask for or expect from one another?"

"So you really don't mind?"

Yami swallowed a sigh. "Honestly, Seto…" He lifted the taller man's hand to his lips, letting them drift over the backs of his knuckles before turning his hand over and kissing his palm. "Really, the only thing I want is…"

Seto couldn't resist. He smirked slightly, just the tiniest twitch of the corners of his mouth. "… an office?"

"NO! Why are you obsessing over that? And besides, if that's all I wanted, I'd just demand that you give me one or end up forcing my way into yours, and say screw the fact that neither one of us would ever get any work done!" Yami quickly retorted, though there was no anger or irritation in his voice, just a smug satisfaction that he had gotten Seto's mind off more morose thoughts. Then he smirked as well, though it quickly melted into a saccharine smile. "The only thing I want is… to be the reason you come home every night."

Seto felt his face warming up slightly. "… Oh geez."

"Mushy," Mokuba declared, while Noa expressed his sentiments by making gagging sounds. Yami responded by making exaggerated kissy faces at Seto, who could only shake his head at everyone's antics, even as a smile threatened to bloom across his face.

"So you feel a little better now?" Yami asked, pleased to see the amusement that Seto was trying so hard to hide.

"Yes. Thank you. But… if you do ever change your mind, then…"

"I already told you. Then I'll just take over your office. You're the best seat in whole company," Yami purred.

"Don't you mean I _have_ the best seat?"

Yami rubbed his chin a little, then his eyes lit up. "Sure, that too. You have a great ass. But I was thinking more along the lines of sitting _on_ you." He winked and licked his lips. Seto's eyebrow twitched, but he made no effort to rebuff Yami's advances as the ex-spirit leaned all the way across the table for an open mouthed kiss made awkward by their positioning.

"Hi, TMI? Hello?" Mokuba looked back and forth at the two of them. Undoubtedly they had moved the conversation to their private channel. Too bad they hadn't done it sooner. Too bad they couldn't take their bodies there too.

"Yeah, we're only in PUBLIC," Noa hissed as he wondered if Seto and Yami would find alternate uses for the table, especially since their food still hadn't come yet. He was so hungry. And this was not the sort of appetizer he'd been expecting...

"Maybe he's just hungry. I know I am," the black-haired teen complained, gesturing at the still food-less tabletop.

Noa smiled at the fact that they were on the same page. "Starving," he said in agreement.

"We're behaving, we're behaving," Yami quickly assured the younger pair after he and Seto broke apart.

Noa snorted. "For now."

Yami ignored the jibe as he settled back into his seat, then he looked around as if realizing the truth in Mokuba's words. "Where is our food anyway?"

Mokuba sighed, wishing he had a harpoon so he could reel in a server. He tried waving one down, but the man had his head down and walked right on by. "Dunno. At this rate, it'd be faster to go home and have you make something," he grumbled.

The former Pharaoh made a noncommittal sound, and began drumming his fingers on the tabletop. His stomach was starting to rumble too, reminding him that they had placed their order… half an hour ago? Forty minutes ago? Yami looked back over at his boyfriend. "If you can tolerate it Kai-baby, I have another suggestion for you."

"What's that?"

"Have you ever considered opening a restaurant at Kaiba Corp.?"

* * *

Because of the sheer volume of business matters that required his attention, and because lunch had ended up taking nearly two whole hours, Seto had felt obligated to stay at the office later than usual. And so even with Noa aggressively pushing for him to go home, he had refused to leave until nearly 7:00 PM. Not that that extra hour had enabled him to make much headway into his work backlog – as much as he hated to admit it, he still hadn't completely recovered, and he probably was pushing himself too hard, too soon. But once he'd gotten home, he quickly realized he wasn't going to find respite there either…

It was a Friday night, after all. Yugi-tachi were over. They were hanging around his family room, like cows waiting to be fed.

Anzu was the first to spot him. "Kaiba! I'm glad to see you're feeling better," she greeted him brightly as he walked into the room. The others turned and chorused similar sentiments.

Seto just grunted and settled heavily into his recliner. He didn't know what to say to her or to anyone else, just as he hadn't known what to say to the employees that had welcomed him back. What was he supposed to do, thank them for reminding him that he'd been sick?

_She's just concerned. Everyone is. Be polite, and say, "Thank you,"_ Yami chided him, as if he were some mannerless child. Seto resented the interference and told Yami as much, but the ex-spirit just sent him the equivalent of a pat on the head as if that would be enough to placate him. It wasn't.

He was more than a little tired and irritable. And he felt somewhat disconnected from everything. It should have been just a typical Friday night, but there was nothing "normal" about it anymore, not for Seto. He had missed two months worth of them while he'd been in America, attended one at Yugi's after coming back, and then missed five weeks more from being sick. In a way it was like starting over… like that first time he had agreed to let Yami host the weekly gathering at the mansion. He had spent that first awkward session on his computer. He hadn't known what to say then either.

Anzu was still looking at him expectantly, smiling as if she knew everything that was going through his head. Seto gritted his teeth. "Thank you." He came off sounding like a robot.

"Oh… you're welcome!"

Then Yugi turned his attention to him. "So how are you feeling? I heard you went to work today."

He eyed the little duelist. "Yeah." Wasn't it obvious? He certainly hadn't put on a tie and slacks for the hell of it. Speaking of which, he probably should've followed Noa's lead and gone upstairs first to change into more casual attire. But he just hadn't had the energy to spare.

Going to work was probably a poor decision on his part. But he'd been out of the office for so long, he didn't feel as if he'd had a choice. He sighed deeply. He really was exhausted. His eyes started to slide shut on their own accord.

_If you don't feel well, you should go lie down, _Yami suggested.

… _No._

"Kaiba?"

The young CEO recognized the voice as Sugoroku's. He forced his eyes open. The old man had sat himself down on the sofa closest to him. "Yes?"

"No one will hold it against you if you need to excuse yourself and take a nap."

"I'm fine," Seto asserted, wondering why he was getting double-teamed. "I was just relaxing a little," he added, in case Sugoroku pressed for more of an explanation. Why couldn't people leave him alone? Maybe it would help if he at least got out of his work clothes. He began loosening his tie.

"I see…"

"Thank you for your concern," Seto threw in, before Yami could get on his case again.

The elderly shopkeeper simply nodded and didn't say anything else. That would've been the end of the conversation, but Seto suddenly found himself curious about something that had lain unresolved for weeks…

"Could you… I… There's something I want to ask," he began hesitantly, unsure of the best way to phrase his request.

"What is it?"

Seto leaned in a little closer. "That Blue Eyes White Dragon… you fixed it, right?" he asked in a low voice.

Sugoroku hesitated. Seto hadn't said anything about the card after he had returned to Domino, so he had assumed everything was all right, that the matter had been settled and that the brunette was going to keep it, just as he had hoped… "Well, I was the one who taped it up, yes. Why?"

"No, I mean… it was _fixed_. You must've…" Seto's voice trailed off.

Sugoroku looked at Seto with uncertainty. He wasn't sure if it was a fevered delusion, or if there was something to what he was saying. "I'm not sure what you're referring to," he said as gently as he could.

Seto shook his head. He was already feeling dumb for bringing it up, and didn't want anyone else inserting themselves into the conversation. He stood up. "Come with me." Without waiting for a response, he began walking out of the room, then, as if realizing the enormity of what he was asking for, suddenly came to a complete stop and looked behind him.

To his surprise, Sugoroku was already on his feet and walking up to him. Seto was stunned, quite frankly. He didn't think the old man trusted him enough to follow him just because he had told him to. Then again, he had handed him his most valuable card, his treasured possession… was there any greater indication of trust than that?

"Lead on," Sugoroku told him, sounding calm despite his perked curiosity.

Seto led him up to the master suite. Sugoroku politely sat and waited in the sitting area – though he couldn't help but peek at the bedroom just beyond the dividing wall – as Seto fetched his deck from the nightstand closest to the entrance.

For just a moment, the brunette hesitated, as if he were debating whether or not to go through with what he had planned, then he was back in the sitting room. He slid the top card off his deck and silently held it out to Sugoroku.

The old man peered at it, still not understanding what exactly he was being asked. "Your Blue Eyes…"

"Not mine. Yours." Seto quickly pulled the remaining three dragons from his deck as proof.

"This… was my card? How…" He couldn't resist touching it. Seto went ahead and pushed it towards him, indicating that he wanted him to hold it. Awed, he accepted it with trembling hands and then held it up to admire it. "Amazing! It must have been incredibly difficult to fix. At least, I haven't heard of anyone else being able to successfully refurbish a card that had been so badly damaged," he commented as his fingers traversed the smooth surface. Other than a tiny residual scratch cutting across the chest of the mighty creature, it looked almost new, and well cared for.

"But I didn't…" Seto protested as he returned the other dragons to his deck. "It was like that when I peeled back the tape that was on it. Yami said it had to be magic. But…" He exhaled harshly. He didn't know why he couldn't just accept Yami's explanation… he wanted to. But he had to know… was that the truth?

"Is that so?" Sugoroku smiled. "Well, he's probably right then. If a shattered heart can be pieced back together, there's no reason a damaged card can't be mended as well." He stroked his finger down the face of the card one last time, then offered it back to Seto. The younger man accepted it without hesitation and placed it on top of the others. "Thank you for showing it to me. Knowing that even the Blue Eyes himself approves… I couldn't be more pleased."

"Pleased?" Seto rolled the word around in his mind a little bit, then his voice dropped even lower, as if he were speaking solely to himself. "I… Even if it has forgiven me, how could you possibly… But you gave it to me so easily, without any conditions or expectations…"

"How could I not?"

"After what I did to you?!"

Sugoroku sighed. But the frustration he felt was towards himself, not Seto. He had told Seto that he had earned his dragon's loyalty. He had thought that that would be enough. But Seto had brought up a good point. Sugoroku had talked about loyalty, but not forgiveness… and he had only addressed the card's desires, not his own feelings.

Seto was not an easy person to talk to, despite the fact that he was a lot more open than he used to be. He remained tight-lipped and restrained, even coming across as being apathetic at times, even when he was being addressed directly. But that didn't mean that he wasn't listening, that he didn't hear things both spoken and unspoken. That didn't mean that he didn't have feelings that could be hurt.

Sugoroku found himself slowly sinking into the closest chair as he considered what he knew about the young man standing before him. Seto trusted and loved his immediate family with an intensity that bordered on obsessive, but in the same breath he was only just beginning to accept that Jounouichi, Anzu and the gang were true friends, the type he could rely on no matter the situation. Anyone outside of that circle he regarded with suspicion, and with good reason.

Seto was a survivor. He had been betrayed by his own staff and business associates. Even now, the majority of people who clustered around him only tolerated him, willing to smile their tight smiles and bow and say "Yes, sir" as long as they benefited from it. He'd been abused by the monster that had adopted him – although Sugoroku had never asked about the marks he'd seen on Seto's back, he recognized that they weren't the sort of things that would result from an accident or childish roughhousing. He'd been abandoned by his own relatives…

That was something the elderly shopkeeper just couldn't fathom. It had never occurred to him to not take custody of Yugi after the accident that had claimed his parents' lives. But Seto and Mokuba had been dumped, like bags of garbage, by their greedy, heartless relatives. Sugoroku couldn't even begin to comprehend how someone could live with themselves after doing something like that.

He wondered, for just an instant, what Seto would've been like if he hadn't gone through hell. He would've been an outstanding student, the pride of his parents... With his sharp wit and his natural charisma, he could've been popular with his classmates. The Seto that laughed with Yami and smiled at his brothers… that was the person he should've been all along. It was a shame that it had taken him so long to find that side of himself. Yes, he was young, he still had a long life ahead of him… but that ruined childhood… those wasted years…

Sugoroku shook his head at his melancholy thoughts, suddenly realizing that he was taking far too long to respond. He looked up and saw that Seto had sat himself down on the arm of the chair across from him. His arms were folded; he was completely silent. There was a brittle frost hardening in his eyes. He was already assuming the worst.

"You're absolutely right. I've never told you how I feel," Sugoroku said slowly.

"You don't need to. I already know."

"Do you now?"

"Yes." Seto's countenance was as hard as stone. "It's enough that you're willing to tolerate me for Yami's sake. I can respect that."

"Tolerate?" Sugoroku sighed. "I more than tolerate you, young man. I'm proud of you. And… I forgive you. Not because of Yami or Yugi or even the dragon that lies between us, but because… I like the person you've become."

Seto didn't say anything in response, but his eyes betrayed his confusion. He pulled his arms tighter against his body and hunkered down a little, as if he were preparing to weather a storm.

"I should have said it sooner. But we've so rarely gotten the chance to talk…" Sugoroku shook his head again. "No, I shouldn't make excuses. I didn't know how to approach you or bring up the subject. It almost seemed better to leave things unsaid… When I gave you that card, I thought that it would be enough, that you'd accept it and understand the meaning behind the gesture. But instead, you looked at it suspiciously as if I was baiting a trap. I should've explained myself then…"

Sugoroku gave a slight shrug before continuing on. "It's yours now, like I've said. I don't expect anything in return. However… I would like you to consider dueling me again someday. Not for any stakes, just for fun."

The brunette was utterly flummoxed. "You want to duel me again?"

Sugoroku tilted his head. "You don't have to feel obligated to, of course. It's merely a suggestion. But I would enjoy the challenge. Call me an old fool, but I wouldn't even mind losing to you again. I just want to play, that's all. And you're quite the duelist."

Despite Sugoroku's reassurance, Seto felt as if he couldn't refuse the request. In a way, a trap _had_ just been sprung. But he wasn't upset by it; there was something tempting about the offer. It was like he was being given the opportunity to continue the conversation – if he so chose – on even footing, through their cards.

… And he did owe the old man a fair fight.

Seto nodded.

Sugoroku smiled. "Once you're ready to take me on, you know where I'll be. I'm looking forward to it."

Seto slowly rose to his feet and stood there for a moment in uncertainty, then he bowed his head slightly and murmured "Thank you" before turning away to go and place his deck back in the drawer. When he turned back around, the gray-haired game shop owner was gone.

* * *

Sugoroku wasn't surprised to see Yami waiting for him in the hallway outside of the master suite. He was leaning against the wall with his arms loosely folded, but his gaze was as sharp as a hawk's.

"Thank you for not interfering."

Yami pushed away from the wall, and looked towards the closed bedroom door. "I won't lie; I wanted to. I wasn't sure what was going on at first. All I knew was that Seto was becoming more tense and upset by the minute, and that he wasn't downstairs where everyone else was. Then Yugi told me he saw you leaving with him."

That he trusted both of them was implied. Sugoroku put his hand on Yami's shoulder. "He'll be all right."

The arms slowly unfolded. Yami exhaled. "I know. I bet drives him crazy that I feel the need to run to his rescue." He stifled a relieved laugh. Already Seto was telling him to go fuck off.

"Perhaps. But I think part of him appreciates it as well."

Yami quirked a smile. His eyes softened a little. "By the way, I never properly thanked you for what you did, Jii-chan. That card…"

"There's nothing to thank me for. Without a doubt, it was the right decision. I wish I had done it sooner."

"Yes. But sometimes he has difficulty expressing his gratitude…" Yami said a bit stiffly.

Sugoroku smiled back, but didn't say anything. There was no need to further discuss it since they both knew that was the truth. So he gave Yami's shoulder another slow pat, then turned to head back to the gathering downstairs. But surprisingly, the ex-spirit followed his lead, falling into step beside him.

"You aren't going in?" Sugoroku asked as they passed by the still shut bedroom door.

"He says he's getting changed and that he'll come down once he's ready." Yami came to a sudden stop, took a step back towards the door, then suddenly laughed. "And that I'm a pervert." He shook his head and began heading towards the stairs again.

"I suppose… I shouldn't ask…" Sugoroku commented, managing to sound offended even though the amused twinkle in his eyes said otherwise.

"Nope!"

* * *

_Why the hell is Malik so loud?_ Seto wondered as the Egyptian carried on a very animated conversation with Mokuba, Noa, Bakura, Honda and Jou. He was actively trying to ignore him, but Malik's laughter was literally like a battering ram, forcing itself into his ears.

"… And then the guy in front of me – a guy like Rishid's size – suddenly decided he wanted to go the opposite way of everyone else. Why, I don't know. But I ran right into him and literally went flying," Malik gleefully explained as he recounted his experience in the pit from the night before. "Ryou says I'm lucky I'm not more beaten up."

"I wish you'd be a little more careful, that's all," the white-haired man responded as his boyfriend pulled his shirt back down. Malik had been showing off the bruises on his ribs to anyone who would look, as if they were badges of courage or something.

Malik was grateful for Bakura's concern, but at the same time, he didn't want to admit to it while everyone was looking at him. It just wasn't macho. "Don't worry. It's not that easy to take me down," he bragged as Yami came back into the room and took a seat on Seto's lap. "Hey, I heard Queensrÿche is on tour too. They're going to reprise their 'rock opera,' Operation: Mindcrime. Anyone wanna go? How about it, Yami?"

"Hmm," was the former Pharaoh's noncommittal reply. He wasn't against the idea; it sounded like it would be fun. He was just busy with other things at the moment, like cradling Seto's head against his shoulder. _You don't have to stay down here. Come on, I'll put you to bed, okay?_

Seto stubbornly shook his head against the crook of his lover's neck as Yami began rubbing small circles into his scalp. The brunette made a soft grunt of disapproval, but didn't pull away. His eyelids began sagging ever so slightly…

Mokuba watched the two of them with worry in his eyes. Normally he would've been amused by their little displays of affection, but his brother wasn't looking too good. Oh, sure, he looked a lot better than he had the past several weeks, but still… he seemed grumpy and listless. He really needed to rest, not sit in the family room and pretend to socialize. But since he seemed pretty adamant about staying downstairs… the only thing Mokuba could do for his brother was to try and draw attention away from his condition. "Malik… are they a metal band too?"

"More like hard rock. I have some CDs, if you want to borrow one," Malik offered. "It'll be a good show, I think. They'll probably have actors and props and maybe even an orchestra."

"An orchestra? Do mosh pits and orchestras really go t'gether?" Jou asked incredulously.

Malik smirked. "Haha, no. I imagine the crowd would be a lot tamer for this show."

"Doesn't sound bad. It'd be fun if we could get a group together to go…" Mokuba said thoughtfully.

"I'd consider something like that," Honda answered, picking up on the not so subtle hint. "I wonder if I know any of the songs…"

"Probably…"

Malik continued on to list the band's most well known songs, but Seto didn't catch any of them. In fact, it seemed that everyone's voices were beginning to fade in and out, even Malik's… Was it just him? How odd… he didn't think he was falling asleep. He felt lucid. But then why was he starting to lean more and more heavily against Yami's shoulder? Why did his muscles feel like jelly? _Crap…_

_Shhh. Don't worry, no one will mind._

He had passed out at the Grand Prix after party. That had been discomforting. But he was comfortably situated in his favorite recliner now, at home, and Yami was half sitting, half lying on top of him, pressing his lips against his forehead. Their friends were hanging around, but he didn't feel their eyes upon him, and there wasn't anyone yelling his name. There weren't unknown hands fluttering about him like a murder of crows. And Mokuba wasn't screaming for him to get up…

Seto wavered a moment longer, then with a heavy sigh, he turned his head a bit further towards Yami, and finally let his eyelids slide shut.

* * *

The group of friends – sans a still sleeping Seto – eventually migrated to the dining room to gorge themselves on Yami's garlic cheddar biscuits and baked eggplant halves before being herded into the living room to continue their conversations over squares of butterscotch studded blondies. Yami stayed around and socialized even though part of him wanted to bow out and go sit with his boyfriend, but he had talked himself out of it. For one, Seto was only napping, and he'd probably be pretty unhappy if he found that Yami had abandoned everyone else just to watch over him when he didn't need it. And two… as much as Yami hated to admit it, he needed a break from playing caretaker.

It wasn't that he minded taking care of Seto… on the contrary, it was what he liked doing, what he was good at. But he'd pretty much been locked in the house for the past six weeks or so, watching Seto's health and mood seesaw, and it was hitting him all at once just how emotionally taxing all of that was.

He shut his eyes for a moment. It felt good to just sit back and relax. It was great to see all his friends again, to hear their lively chatter. Mokuba and Noa seemed a lot more energized and upbeat too, as if the stress of the last few weeks had finally melted away. Yami smiled to himself. Yes, this was almost exactly how life ought to be. All he needed was for Seto to fully recover, and everything would be absolutely perfect.

The main discussion had turned to the subject of LoDM, and what Duel Monsters ought to be available as companion creatures - and some of the suggestions were pretty outrageous, like Jou's request to have the Harpie Lady Sisters heaving and bobbing along behind his character – when a soft, low voice wormed its way into the conversation.

"Yami…"

Crimson eyes snapped open. _Seto?_ Surprised, Yami looked over to see his lover standing unsteadily in the entrance to the room. _Are you hungry? There's some biscuits left, _he said awkwardly. It was odd that he hadn't heard or "felt" Seto wake up at all.

"Why'd you leave?" He sounded like a petulant child. He didn't seem to be aware that he was speaking out loud, nor that he had gotten more than just Yami's attention by doing so.

… _We just didn't want to wake you, Baby._

Seto frowned and began plodding towards the long sofa, dragging behind him the blanket that Yami had draped on him earlier. Feet began shifting out of his way, lest the brunette trip while beelining for his boyfriend.

Sugoroku watched with particular interest as Seto passed by. He couldn't help but think to himself, _He reminds me of how Yugi was when he was a toddler, _even though Seto was far from being an innocent little kid. But there was something childlike about him, a hint of vulnerability that tugged at Sugoroku's heart, and he resolved to do everything he could to get to know the young man better. After all, he was as much a part of his family now as Yami, Anzu or any of the other kids that had wandered into his life. And as much as he knew Seto would resist it, he needed a grandfather's kindness more than anyone else.

But now was not the time for that, so Sugoroku stayed silent, watching out of the corner of his eye as Seto came to a stop in front of Yami, then, after a moment's consideration, sat down, forcibly wedging himself between Yami and Yugi. Both Yugi and Anzu, who had been sitting on the far end of the sofa, quickly scrambled to find seating elsewhere.

"Don't leave," Seto sleepily demanded before his head landed on Yami's lap.

Mai instantly slapped her hand over Jou's mouth, just in case her husband was thinking of making a smartass comment. But for once, the brown-eyed blonde hadn't been planning on saying a thing. He knew Seto was still recovering; he wasn't going to poke fun at him for it. Hell, he'd punch anyone that was enough of a jackass to make fun of a sick man like that.

Yami just smiled at his friends, grateful for their silent support as Seto pulled his long legs up onto the couch, then rolled over and squirmed around until he found a position he liked. _Are you really going to be able to sleep like this?_ he asked as conversation around them started up once again, though at a much lower volume than before.

The young billionaire just grunted, his body already relaxing and settling into place. Apparently he had no problem with it at all.

* * *

TBC

Author's Notes:  
- Re: picking bands. Silly as it is, I spent a lot of time fretting over what concert to send the boys to. I wanted metal, and I wanted to pick a band that I would want to go see, that was still together and touring… and so I went with my perennial favorite, Megadeth. Not that I'm entirely convinced that Mokuba would like songs about nuclear warfare, but at least the songs are anti-war? I nearly went with Queensrÿche instead (clarifying: they're not the same as Queen) even though they're more progressive hard rock, because of their rock opera-ish Operation: Mindcrime, but happily, I found a way to give them a nod as well.  
- Minor edit: the MMORPG Kaiba Corp. is developing was called "Duel Monsters Legacy" in chapter 9. I have since switched the name both there and here to "Legends of Duel Monsters," the reason being that "legacy" in computer lingo refers to outdated or obsolete systems or components, which of course wouldn't be the sort of thing Noa or Seto would want associated with their game.  
- It's usually random if I decide to construct outfits for the charas in a given story, i.e. sometimes I just find something awesome and want to use it. In this case though, I though it was appropriate to illustrate the similarities and differences between Yami, Noa, Mokuba and Seto… and also between their private and public selves. A collage of their outfits (for those who may be curious) is up on my site.  
- Re: BEWD and magic. At the end of "Summer of '69," Seto seemed to accept Yami's explanation that the fourth Blue Eyes magically repaired itself. But at the time, he was also exhausted to the point of collapse, and all afterglowy thanks to… well, "extracurricular activities." So it occurred to me that once he had a chance to think about it, he might start doubting Yami's assertion once again. Not because he'd think Yami was lying, but more that he'd think it'd be far more reasonable to assume that Sugoroku had had the card repaired before he handed it to him, and that Yami was just a hair too quick to pull out "magic" as an explanation before considering anything else. This explanation was approved by two betas, so I hope it flies for my readers too (in reality, I wrote the section and liked it and then realized that maybe it was a problem after the fact…)  
- Re: the extent of what Sugoroku knows. I think after this many years, he'd have a pretty good idea of what Seto went through as a child. Yugi and/or Yami would have probably told him about what they had learned of Seto from Death-T and the virtual world. And he would've probably noticed Seto's back from poolside some random summer evening.  
- And as a corollary to the previous note… I didn't start off intending to bring Seto and Sugoroku together here, but it was irresistible considering how Seto's been growing over the past arc or two. He's cleared the air with Noa, he's even seen his friends prove themselves to him… but neither of those make up for the fact that he lacks a parental figure, and that's where Sugoroku could come in and really make a difference.  
- **Note that this fic isn't **_**quite **_**done yet… there's an epilogue to this epilogue!**


	15. Epilogue 15

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. This is a not-for-profit fanwork and I do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**The Cost of Doing Business**

**Epilogue 1.5**

* * *

_Several weeks later..._

It was a particularly slow day at the Kame Game Shop. Not only was it the first rainy day of the fall season, but the new school year had just started as well.

The elderly game shop owner tried to tell himself that it was all a blessing in disguise. With Yugi and Jounouichi taking classes at the local community college, he was having to work the shop alone three afternoons a week. And the last several weeks had been quite busy, and there hadn't been time to get the store as neatly organized as he liked. So he took advantage of the lack of customers to reorganize the shelves and clean out the stockroom. He made the whole place sparkle from floor to ceiling. But by late afternoon, even his enthusiasm had waned. It was too quiet. He was growing bored.

He was tempted to close early, but that was something he tried to avoid whenever possible. It wasn't professional, for one. It could become a bad habit. And he had learned after so many years in the business that the most interesting people tended to show up at the oddest of times.

The bell strapped to the shop door suddenly jingled. The old man's head popped up. "Welcome to the… oh, Kaiba?"

Seto nodded curtly in greeting as he secured his umbrella, then began looking around. "Pretty dead today."

"The kids are in school. And it's the first rainfall of the season."

"Hn." Seto himself had left work a few minutes early. And Yami would be expecting him home pretty soon. But traffic on the roads had been so light, he'd figured he had time for a little detour…

Sugoroku pushed himself off his stool and leaned against the counter. "So what can I help you with?" he prompted.

The slightest hint of a smile creased Seto's face. He reached inside his coat pocket. "I came to take you up on your offer." He withdrew his deck and placed it on the counter. "Super expert rules. I'll even let you go first."

"I see. Good thing I'm prepared." Sugoroku's own deck landed on the counter beside Seto's. "Duel Disks, or would the tried and true pencil and paper method work for you?"

"There's 41 cards in my deck at the moment, and I'm not inclined to take one out, unless you insist," Seto obliquely responded, which not only ruled out the Duel Disks, but also told Sugoroku exactly what he was in for.

Sugoroku grinned. It was exactly what he expected. "That's fine. How many duels are decided by the last card in a deck anyhow?" the old man asked as he began shuffling his deck.

The brunette followed his lead and did the same. "You're right. I plan on beating you long before then," he said smugly, then he exchanged decks with Sugoroku for the cut.

Sugoroku gave a mock sigh. "Kids… Some things never change," he muttered as he accepted his cards back. He pretended to not see Seto's answering smile to his comment as they each drew their opening hand. "Ready?"

Seto nodded. He was always ready… to win. But this time, he was ready to play, too.

"Let's duel!"

* * *

OWARI

Author's Notes:  
- Yes, I'm aware that you can't have four copies of a card in a dueling deck, but since they've both agreed to an exemption to the rules, it's allowed in this case.  
- And on a related tangent… So here's the deal. As some of you know, "Cost" was the penultimate arc of my ficverse. But I won't be starting the final arc for a while yet as I have a backlog of shiny little oneshots lined up like tin soldiers. I'm not sure which ones will actually get written and which won't, nor which will get posted to ffnet and which won't, but… for those of you who care, I'll be listing all my potentials on my livejournal (link in ffnet profile). And of course anything that doesn't make it to ffnet will still show up on my LJ and my archive site.


End file.
